Sinful Nature
by kendra151
Summary: What would happen if your favorite wrestler actually read the stories you wrote about him?
1. Chapter 1

**So a couple of notes for this story – This is an older story of mine that I started several years ago, back when Kane still wore his mask and had long hair. Many of the other characters in this story are from this time period as well, and some of them may not be around much anymore (including Shane Helms, who, at the time this was written, was wrestling as The Hurricane). I considered updating the story and changing some of the names, but I finally decided to just leave it as the original version. And I think with this confession, I just revealed my age. :-(**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kane, Glen Jacobs or any of the other superstars mentioned in this story. The name Sinful Nature was created solely for this work of fiction and any relation to an actual site (other than my own) is purely coincidental.**

**Chapter 1**

Glen sighed as he made his way up the ramp and through the curtains, the screams from the crowd still echoing in his head. Another night. Another match. Another standing ovation. He shook his head when he thought about how ironic it was. Almost six years earlier, he had gotten a call from Vince McMahon, with an offer to play the part of Kane, an indestructible, ill-tempered monster who just happened to be the Undertaker's little brother. Glen chuckled when he recalled the look on Vince's face at their first face-to-face meeting. The "little" part had been dropped in a hurry.

Now, years later, despite his character's intimidating and violent presence, or maybe because of it, he had evolved into one of the WWE's most popular superstars. Without a doubt, he had one of the most loyal fan followings of any guy in the locker room. No matter what he did, who he wrestled, where he went, the fans were always behind him one hundred percent. Although he worked hard and gave his best in every match he wrestled, he still didn't get it. He still couldn't understand what the fans saw in him. But as long as they continued to cheer him on…as long as they continued to pay their hard earned money to buy tickets to see him wrestle, he would continue to give them all of himself every time he stepped into the ring. He wouldn't let himself question the great success the good Lord had given him.

Making his way through the back of the arena, through the maze of corridors lined with costume trunks and plastic storage boxes, Glen headed for his dressing room, eager to shower and head back to his hotel room for some much needed rest. Opening the door, he was immediately met by a chorus of laughter and he couldn't help but give a small chuckle himself, wondering which unfortunate soul had just been on the receiving end of yet another practical joke.

"Hey guys. What's up?" he asked, when he entered the room and saw several of the guys crowded around one of the small wooden benches, gazing down at whatever it was that was in the middle of the large group.

"You gotta come take a look at this!" his friend Chris Irvine yelled above another fit of laughter, as he motioned for Glen to come and join them.

"What now?" Glen chuckled again, knowing that his friends were always finding some type of mischief to get into.

Slipping off his mask, he sauntered over to where they were gathered, and gazed down over the shoulders of a few of the smaller guys as he tried to figure out what they were looking at. Then he spotted the small grey laptop that was open on the bench and he rolled his eyes, assuming that they had simply found some type of pornographic site to look at.

"Porn? Come on guys. Aren't you all a little old to be laughing over pictures of naked women?" he teased, wondering if they could possibly get any more immature. "Hell, if its naked women you're after, just head out to the back of the building. I'm sure the ring rats have gotten pretty thick back there by now."

"It's not porn man. Well, not exactly anyway. It's called fan fiction. The site belongs to a fan that Helms here talked to earlier. It's called Sinful Nature. She gave him the address and told him to check it out sometime. Told him she'd written some pretty steamy stuff about him." Chris replied with a snicker.

"Yeah. She seems to think that the Hurricane has some pretty good Hurri-powers, if you know what I mean, Beyotch!" Shane replied, taking his superhero stance, which earned him a smack to the back of the head from Chris.

"Has anybody every told you that you look like an idiot when you do that. And what's with this beyotch thing? It's bitch, plain and simple. Get over it!" he yelled, causing another round of laughter to pass through the group.

"Well, there's at least one person who happens to like my superheroness." Shane replied, pointing down at the monitor.

"Yeah. And there's also somebody who thinks that Bubba Dudley has the body of a Greek god. Take it for what it's worth." Chris snapped back.

"He's just got a big head because someone's been writing a story about him." Shane muttered, rolling his eyes as Glen chuckled at their antics.

"Of course they have. What woman wouldn't want me?" Chris proclaimed in his best Jericho voice. "Look at me. Look at this body. I'm Chris Jericho. I'm a HUGE rock star! I'm the King of …"

"Suckas!" Booker Huffman, otherwise known as Booker T, interrupted, shoving Chris out of the way so he could see the screen again.

"Listen here, dog!" he added, playing up his character as he motioned from Glen to the computer screen. "There's even a story about me, Booker T, the five time, five time, five time, five time, five time, WCW champion. This woman wants to read the "Book" from cover to cover, if you know what I mean dog. Yeah, her own private version of the Spin-a-roony. Now can you dig that..."

"Guys, guys, guys. Come on. Why on earth would these women possible want to write stories about you, when they can write about me, R-V-D.? After all, I am Mr. Monday Night…and Tuesday Night…and Wednesday Night…Hell, I'll be Mr. Every Night if that's the way they want it. It's all cool with me!" Rob added, with a shrug of his shoulders

"Listen, DUDE. I'm sure that most of your fans haven't even learned to write yet, so I doubt that there's anything on that site for you." Chris chimed in, pushing Rob out of his way.

"But I bet there's a few there for Glen." he added, turning to face his friend. "What do you say, buddy? Want to come over here and check it out?"

"Thanks, but no thanks, man. I think I'll pass. Doesn't sound like my kind of thing, if you know what I mean." Glen replied, as he backed away from the group. "Besides, I feel pretty worn down tonight. I just want to take a shower and head back to my room so I can catch up on some sleep."

"Suit yourself man. At least we offered." Chris replied, before turning his attention back to the computer screen.

Sitting down on one of the empty benches, Glen listened to them banter back and forth as he removed his boots, then stood to remove his costume. Once he was naked, he wrapped a towel around his waist and gathered a change of clothes before heading in the direction of the showers.

The sound of laughter echoed behind him again as he left the room, and he shook his head and smiled, wondering if he was the only sane person left in the whole company. He made a mental note to himself that he would definitely have to speak to Vince McMahon about making mental evaluations part of his hiring practices!


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you for the reviews and adds! I'm glad to know you approve of me leaving this in the original format and I hope you will continue to enjoy it!**

**Chapter 2**

Kimberley leaned back in her chair and stretched, rubbing her tired neck as she checked the time. Surprised by how late it had gotten, she turned back to the computer screen and the story she had been working on for the past few nights.

_I'll just finish this chapter then head to bed_, she thought to herself, knowing she had to be at work early the next morning.

After struggling to find the right words, she finally wrote a decent ending to the latest chapter of her story and saved it to her computer. Then, before turning in for the night, she clicked the other button at the bottom of her screen, bringing up her favorite website, Sinful Nature.

One of her closest friends, Michelle, had created the wrestling fan fiction site as a place for female wrestling fans to come together and drool over their favorite stars. Knowing that Kim was a big fan of Glen Jacobs, the man who portrayed Kane, Michelle had urged Kim to check it out and maybe even post some of her work there.

Always one with an overactive imagination, Kimberley had written several fan fiction stories herself. But the thought of putting them out there for everybody to read kind of made her nervous. It wasn't so much a lack of confidence that made her reluctant. She knew she was a decent writer and many of her closest friends had told her that they loved her work. Rather, it was the love and admiration that she had for Glen that held her back. After all, what would he think if he were to ever read the stories that she had written about him? How would he feel about a total stranger pretending to know such intimate things about him?

After several discussions on the topic, Michelle had finally convinced Kim that she had a better chance of winning the lottery than to have Glen Jacobs stumble onto the website and read her stories about him. After all, he was a busy man and he didn't have time to concern himself with everything his fans did. So after much prodding and poking, Kimberley had started posting one of her stories, about a medieval princess who had been rescued from an evil prince by Kane, one of the King's most valiant knights. While she had originally thought her story was kind of silly, she had gotten several great reviews on it, which had helped to build her confidence even more. Since then, she had posted a few more stories, always with the same glowing results, and her concerns about Glen ever reading them had slowly faded into the background.

While Kim normally didn't have any difficulty coming up with new ideas for her stories, her latest work had been very challenging for her to write. It was no secret to anybody who knew her that she absolutely worshipped Glen. She knew just about everything there was to know about the guy, from his early days working with Al Snow in the now defunct Smokey Mountain Wrestling organization to the modern day Kane, and all his other failed gimmicks in between. And although she had never been lucky enough to meet him in person, she had heard from many others who had, and they all had nothing but the highest praise for the man. He was apparently nothing but a big teddy bear outside of the ring, always pleasant and cordial and eager to please a fan. So, wanting to repay him for his hard work and kindness, she had decided to write a story that emphasized his best qualities. A tribute of sorts to his love of the fans, his dedication to the business and the hard work that had gotten him where he was today. Something that would have a little bit of reality mixed in with the make-believe and, of course, a little bit of smut added in just for good measure.

Kim smiled when she remembered the first time she had ever tried writing a sex scene involving Glen. Just the thought of being in that position with him was enough to make her whole body tingle. To have him wrap those huge arms around her. To have him hold her against his massive chest. To have him whisper in her ear with that incredibly sexy voice of his. It was enough to make her knees weak. But, alas, it was only fiction. A fantasy that would never be fulfilled. She sighed in frustration, the ache in her heart painfully tight, as she realized that her greatest dream would never come true. Glen would never be hers.

Finally turning off her computer, Kim stood from her chair and stretched again, then headed to her bathroom to change into her pajamas. Then, stumbling back into the room, she pulled back the covers and climbed into her cold, empty bed, wishing that Glen was there to help keep her warm. Smiling at the thought, she closed her eyes and snuggled into the pillow and slipped off into the world of pleasant dreams.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Glen sighed as he opened his closet and pulled out some clothes, packing them into his suitcase as he prepared for another long week on the road. He didn't know what was more exhausting—traveling to four different cities over four days time or spending three lonely days by himself while he was home. Sometimes, he was almost grateful for the new work week to begin. At least while he was on the road, he had his friends to keep him company.

Turning to his dresser to gather the remainder of his things, he stopped when he saw the picture sitting on top. Picking it up, he ran his fingers over the glass, remembering when it had been taken. Those had been happier times then. His wedding day. A time when he believed that love could truly conquer all. He shook his head when he thought of how blind he had been. How easily he had fallen. Although things had been over with for over a year now, it still seemed like it had only happened yesterday. And although she was gone from his life for good, for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to put the picture away. Along with the pain, it also gave him a small glimmer of hope. Hope that maybe someday, he could find that kind of happiness again. And this time, it would be for real.

Sitting the picture back down on the dresser, he finished packing his bags and carried them through the house, sitting them beside the front door. As usual, he had an early flight to catch in the morning, and he had discovered long ago that if he got himself into the habit of packing everything the night before, then he could easily gain an extra thirty minutes worth of sleep in the morning.

Heading back to his bedroom, he grabbed a clean pair of sweatpants and headed to the bathroom to shower…another wonderful time-saving habit that saved him a few extra minutes in the mornings. When he was done, he brushed out his hair and pulled it back into a low ponytail to keep it out of his face while he slept. Then he gathered the remainder of his things and placed them in a small carry-on bag before heading back into his bedroom and climbing into bed.

He stretched out and gazed up at the ceiling for several minutes before he realized he wasn't tired enough to go to sleep. Sitting up again, he used the remote to turn on the television and he flipped through the channels as he tried to find something interesting to watch. Not finding anything there, he turned the TV off and gazed around his room, spotting his video game system in the corner. He considered hooking it up to play a few games, but he knew once he got engrossed in that task, he'd be up all night. Looking around once more, he spotted his laptop, which was lying on top of the desk underneath the window and he decided that he would spend some time surfing the web.

He gathered the computer up in his arms and carried it back to the bed, plugging it into the bedside outlet before he crawled back under the covers. Turning it on, he first checked out a couple of his favorite gaming sites and read up on some of the upcoming releases. Then he headed over to to place an order for some more books. He loved to read and usually kept several new books on hand to take with him when he traveled. However, due to his extreme boredom, his last supply of fresh reading material had been quickly depleted, so he figured he'd go ahead and stock up now, so his order would be there in time for the following week's trip.

Once that was done, he checked out a couple of popular wrestling sites, always curious as to what the fans thought about the current storylines and characters. Not finding anything important there, Glen was almost ready to turn the computer off when he remembered the locker room conversation he'd had with the guys a few days earlier. He smiled at the thought of his friends fighting with each other over some stupid little website. He wondered what could have possibly been so special about it to make grown men act like four year olds.

What had they said the name of the site was? Sinful something or other? Glen strained to remember the conversation, trying to recall the name Chris had given him.

_Sinful Delights, maybe?, _he thought, typing the words into the search engine.

_Nope, that's not it_, he thought again, when his search brought up the site for a gourmet candy shop.

"Hmmm. Sinful Pleasures? Nope, that doesn't sound right." he said out loud, as he tried to piece together the puzzle. "Sinful Stories? Nope, that doesn't sound right, either…."

Unable to come up with the right word, he finally performed another search, this time for wrestling fan fiction sites. After sorting through several pages of results, he finally found one with the word "Sinful" in it.

_That's it! Sinful Nature_, he thought to himself, as he clicked on the link to the site.

"Now, let's see if I can figure out what all the fuss is about. Maybe I can even find some dirt that I can use against the other guys when I see them tomorrow."

With that thought in mind, he opened the page and gazed down the list of stories, randomly clicking on one as he began to read.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The first story that Glen happened to select was about Paul Levesque, the man who played Triple H. Skimming through the paragraphs, he found that this story portrayed Paul as a kind and gentle man, who, out of the kindness of his heart, takes in a homeless woman and eventually falls in love with her. Glen snorted at the thought, knowing that whoever had written this story had one hell of an imagination. Although he got along alright with Paul, he knew that Paul was as cocky and arrogant outside of the ring as he was inside. The man was cold-hearted and selfish, certainly not the kind to dole out that kind of charity. He'd let someone die out on the street before he would ever help them, unless of course, he got something return. Shaking his head in disgust, he headed back to the list and made another selection.

Glen quickly discovered that this new story was about the Dudley Boys, Bubba and D-Von. Again, he skimmed through a few pages of the story, chuckling with amusement…until things started getting hot and heavy. He realized that this was probably the story that Chris had been referring to when he said one of the authors thought Bubba had the body of a Greek god. Although he was sure that the rest of the story would have been hilarious, he winced when the image of Bubba naked crossed his mind. Shaking the thought from his head, he quickly headed back to the main page, searching for something a little less frightening.

Glancing at a few more of the stories, he quickly realized that most of the authors had no clue how most of the guys were outside of the ring. These women (or men) apparently couldn't separate the real life personas from the characters they portrayed on television. And all of the stories that he had read were so unrealistic. He couldn't help but wonder what kind of people could sit around and write this stuff. Didn't they have anything better to do with their time? Why didn't they just go out and find themselves a real flesh-and-blood man, rather than waste their time writing about someone they could never have?

_I guess that's why they call it fiction_, he thought, as he stifled a yawn.

He scrolled back up the list of stories and scanned the names briefly before he finally decided it was time to turn off the computer and head to bed. But just as he got ready to close the page, one of the titles caught his attention.

_The Fire Within_

Glen gazed at the title for several moments, the word "Fire" sticking out at him like a sore thumb. He couldn't help but wonder if maybe it was a reference to his character, Kane. He glanced at the title again, noticing that the author had signed her name as Kimberley. Debating on whether or not to take a look at the story, he was almost afraid of what might be there for him to read.

Wanting to ease his curiosity, he finally forced himself to click on the title. But before the computer could bring the page up, a bright streak of lightning and a loud boom broke the silence and a moment later, his whole room was thrust into darkness.

"Shit…stupid damn storms..." he muttered, as he closed up the laptop and placed it on the floor beside his bed. "Another damn power outage. Wonder how long this one will last?"

Glancing toward the clock, he double checked to make sure that the alarm was set for the correct time, thankful that it was equipped with a battery backup. Then he lay back down in the bed and settled in under the covers, as he prepared himself for a good nights sleep.

Rolling to his side, he settled his attention on the window as he listened to the downpour of rain outside. The lightning continued to flash brightly, lighting up his room a few brief seconds before the darkness surrounded him again, the steady flashes of light slowly hypnotizing him, the sound of thunder carrying him away to another time.

He could see himself lying in the same bed, holding her close as she trembled, soothing her as the storm raged outside the window. She had always been afraid of the storms, and he'd taken great pride in knowing that he could make her feel safe with one simple touch. So many of those nights had ended with passionate bouts of lovemaking, his desire to protect her from anything and everything often overwhelming him with emotion. He could still see her there beside of him, kissing him, holding him, as he loved her slowly and completely. She'd given herself so freely then, there had been no barriers to separate them….

Another loud crash of thunder jolted Glen from his thoughts and he groaned at the all too familiar ache in his heart as he longed for those days once again.

"Stop it, Glen." he said to himself, berating himself for his weakness. "It's all in the past. Just leave it there."

Grabbing the spare pillow, he pulled it over his head, as he tried to block out the sounds of the storm and the memories that came along with them. After several torturous minutes, he finally drifted off into a restless sleep.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kimberley sighed as she reclined back in her chair and stared at the picture she had taped to the wall above her computer. It was a picture of Glen that she had cut out of one of her magazines, taken the night he had returned from his injury. She absolutely loved his new costume and mask. Yes, especially the mask. She loved being able to see more of his face, especially that gorgeous smile of his. It was enough to make her heart flutter.

Glancing back at her computer screen, she studied the project she had been working on all day, wondering if five o'clock would ever come. She was dying to head for home so she could curl up in front of her own computer and write. Her head was swimming with new ideas for her story and she couldn't wait to get them down on paper before she lost them all. She hoped that maybe the severe case of writer's block that had plagued her for the past few weeks was finally gone. If so, maybe she could finally make herself write a decent chapter or two.

Sitting upright once more, she cast a final glance at the picture on the wall, then turned her attention back to her computer. The sooner she got her work finished, the sooner she could go home.

She worked diligently for another couple of hours, almost completing her task, before her concentration was interrupted by the phone. Saving her work, she reached absently for the receiver and brought it to her ear.

"Hello."

"Hey Kim. How's it going, girl? Ready to blow that joint yet?" the cheerful voice on the other end replied, making Kim smile.

"Hey Michelle. What are you up to?" Kim answered, as she wondered why her friend was calling her at work.

"I was calling to see if you wanted to go out for a while tonight. You know, make the rounds at the bars, check out the guys, find you a man…that sort of thing."

Kim smiled faintly, her eyes drawn back to the picture on the wall. Sighing softly, she quickly tore her gaze away.

"I don't think so. That's really not my sort of thing, you know. Those places are too…loud and all the guys there are always so….drunk. Thanks for the offer, but I think I'll pass."

"Oh come on girl. You've been working too hard lately and it's been way too long since you've had a night out. Come with me. Get out and have some fun. I promise it'll be a blast." Michelle replied, already knowing she was fighting a losing battle. It was nearly impossible to get her friend out of the house to go anywhere outside of work, especially to a bar.

"Really, Michelle. Not tonight. I just don't feel up to it." Kim replied, trying her best not to hurt her friend's feelings. "Maybe some other time."

Michelle sighed loudly on the other end of the line.

"Girl, how do you expect to ever find a man when you stay holed up in that tiny apartment of yours all the time? You need to get out, have fun, meet people, live your life. You're still young Kim and you've got your whole life ahead of you. It's time you started enjoying it."

"Look Michelle. I appreciate the offer, I really do. But I'm just not in the mood tonight. I'm just going to go home, take a nice relaxing bath, work on my story for a little while and then head to bed." Kim answered as politely as possible. "Look, I've got to go. I've got some things to finish up here before I can leave. I'll talk to you later okay."

"Okay." Michelle replied, sounding defeated. "Call me if you need anything."

"I will. Bye."

Kim hung up the phone, and stared blankly at her computer screen, as she tried to remember what she had been working on before her friend had called. Not in the mood to do anymore work, she decided she'd come in early the following morning and finish things up then. Turning off her computer, she gathered her things and prepared to leave.

She stood from her seat and slipped on her coat, glancing one last time at the picture on the wall, feeling that all too familiar ache in her heart once again.

"Sorry Michelle. I've already found a man." she murmured softly, as she slipped her purse over her shoulder. "The only problem is…he doesn't even know I exist."

Fighting back the tears that threatened to fall, she turned and headed toward the door… and another lonely night at home by herself.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Glen sat quietly in the corner of the dressing room, lacing up his boots as he waited for his match to begin. Ignoring most of the other activity that was going on around him, he never noticed the huge man who entered the room and made his rounds through the group, until he sauntered over and took a seat next to him on the bench.

Finally looking up, he was surprised to find himself staring into the face of his on-screen brother and best friend, Mark Calloway, the Undertaker.

"Hey man. What are you doing here?" Glen asked in surprise, as he extended a hand to his friend.

Mark smiled as he returned Glen's handshake.

"We're just a few miles down the road for the Smackdown taping tomorrow night. I thought I'd ride on up and visit with everybody for a while." Mark replied, as he studied his friend's worn expression.

Glen nodded his head as his gaze returned to the floor.

"Hey man. You okay?" Mark asked, noticing that Glen seemed to be a little more out of it than usual.

"Yeah. Just a little tired I guess. Had another rough night last night. Didn't really get much sleep." he replied quietly.

Mark nodded his head as he studied his big friend, wishing there was something he could do to help ease his pain. Having gone through a divorce himself, he knew that it wasn't a pleasant thing to experience, but for some reason, things had been tougher on Glen. He just couldn't seem to let go of the past.

"Feel like talking about it?" Mark asked before he could stop himself.

"No thank you Oprah. I think I'll manage on my own." Glen replied with a chuckle, not missing Mark's slip up.

"Smart ass!" Mark quipped, as he scanned the locker room before turning back to Glen again. "So, you feel like going out and having a drink later? I'm buying."

Glen nodded his head enthusiastically.

"Shit yeah! If you're buying, I'm there!" he replied, looking forward to catching up with his friend again.

Mark chuckled as he looked at Glen again. "Yeah well, …before you start trying to drink me under the table, just remember buddy…. I'm not carrying your goofy ass back to the hotel tonight!"

Glen smiled as he slipped his mask on and stood to leave.

"I'll keep that in mind, Dead Man. I'll catch up to you after my match."

Mark nodded his head as he watched Glen leave the room. Although he was looking forward to spending some time with his friend, he'd also had an ulterior motive for asking him out to the bar. Wherever there was a bar, there was alcohol. And wherever there was alcohol, there were usually some pretty wild women who were always on the lookout for a good time. If he could just get his friend loosened up enough, he would definitely make sure Glen had a good time tonight!

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Glen moaned as he rolled over and tried to block the sun from his eyes, the pounding in his head making his stomach churn. What the hell had he gotten into last night?

Trying to clear the cobwebs from his head, he remembered that he had gone out to have a drink with Mark after the show. But that was the only thing he could remember. Everything else was just a blur. Of course that was the norm whenever he was with Mark. Glen thought he was definitely going to have to stop trying to drink that man under the table. He'd been trying for years now and the only thing he had ever gotten for his troubles was a poor memory and a pounding headache. Mark was definitely in a league of his own when it came to alcohol.

Pulling the covers tighter around him, Glen settled himself into a comfortable position, prepared to spend the rest of the morning in bed sleeping off his hangover. He was just about to doze back off to sleep when he felt a movement in the bed beside of him. Although it caught him by surprise, his first thought was that maybe it was Mark. Perhaps he had gotten so drunk the night before that he had been unable to make it back to his hotel and Mark had simply taken pity on him and brought him back to his room to sleep it off. It certainly wouldn't have been the first time his friend had helped him out in a situation like that.

Then he felt a hand rub across his chest, teasing his nipples briefly before sliding lower down his stomach and his whole body tensed. Nope…it wasn't Mark! At least… it better not be!

Opening his eyes quickly, Glen turned his head and met the gaze of the small brunette who was curled up in the bed beside of him.

_Aww, shit!, _he thought to himself, suddenly faced with the knowledge of what had happened the night before.

"Hey there handsome! You up for another round this mornin'?" the woman purred, as she enclosed her hand around his already hardening cock and began to stroke him.

In one swift movement, Glen jumped from the bed, pulling himself away from her touch and bringing the sheets with him in the process. He realized immediately that the woman was as naked as he was and she was now exposed completely to his view, since he had pulled all the covers off of the bed with him.

Turning his back to her, Glen finally spoke to her.

"Please find your clothes and get dressed. It's time for you to go." he said, as he rubbed his hand across his aching temple.

"What? So soon? I was so looking forward to another repeat performance before I left." she whined, as she rolled toward the edge of the bed and tugged playfully on the sheet that was wrapped around Glen's body.

Glen quickly jerked himself away from her again.

"I said leave!" he shouted, his patience wearing thin. "Get dressed and get the hell out of my room!"

Angered by the way he was trying to brush her off, the woman crossed her arms and reclined back on the bed, challenging him.

"I'm not going anywhere until you pay me for last night!" she huffed, flashing him a contemptuous look when he turned and glared at her.

"You have exactly two minutes to get dressed and get the hell out of here or I promise I'll throw you out myself." he growled as he bent over and picked her clothes up off of the floor and tossed them to her.

"Don't you dare threaten me, you overgrown jerk! You lay one hand on me and I'll go screaming to the cops!" she replied, refusing to back down from the big man.

Glen clenched his fists as he tried to fight the urge to reach out and chokeslam this woman through the floor. If she didn't hurry up and leave, he'd gladly show her just how big of a jerk he could be!

"If you want me to go away, then you're going to have to put up some cash." she stated calmly, sizing Glen up as he continued to glare at her.

"I know who you are." she continued, a self-satisfied smirk plastered on her face. "I'm not stupid. I know what kind of money you guys make and I'm sure you've got plenty of it to spare. So you just write me out a nice little check for…oh…I don't know….a few thousand dollars and I'll gladly be out of your hair." she offered, pausing for a moment to let her demand sink in. "Otherwise, I'll go running to the cops and tell them you assaulted me last night. And considering your celebrity status….I think the press would be very interested in what I had to say. Don't you agree?"

Glen stared at her in astonishment as her threat registered in his mind, his face quickly darkening with anger.

"Listen here, you no good, worthless bitch! Get your ass dressed and remove yourself from my room NOW!" he roared as he quickly began to make his way around the bed toward her. "Otherwise the only way you'll leave here is if you're carried out of here in a body bag!"

Seeing the look of hatred in his eyes, the woman suddenly became frightened. Apparently this huge man wasn't as gullible as some of her past victims had been. Realizing that she had definitely picked the wrong target, she knew it would be in her best interests to leave quickly before he really did hurt her. Grabbing her clothes up in her arms, she tried to slip on her panties as she stumbled backwards, doing her best to stay out of Glen's range as he came closer.

"Stay away from me! I'll swear I'll scream!" she threatened again, when she felt her back come in contact with the wall and realized she was trapped.

She closed her eyes and cringed when she saw him raise his hand, knowing that at any moment he would probably snap her neck in two. Unaware that she was standing beside the door, she jumped when instead of him hitting her, he ripped the door locks open and grabbed the knob.

"Get out now!" he yelled, jerking the door open and pushing her roughly outside.

"Hey! Get your hands off of me you son of a bitch!" she yelled when she was shoved out into the hallway, still naked except for the small lace panties she had managed to slip on in the middle of his tirade.

Her voice was cut off by the slamming of the door and she glanced around her nervously, her face flushed with embarrassment when she realized there were other people standing around in the hallway, watching with interest the scene that was unfolding in front of them.

"What the hell are you looking at?" she screamed, before she turned and stalked off toward the elevators, as she tried her best to cover herself with the remaining clothes she was holding in her arms.

Inside the room, Glen stalked back toward the bed and sank down on the mattress as he tried to ignore the pounding in his head. He couldn't believe the nerve of that woman… trying to blackmail him into giving her money! But then again, he knew he shouldn't be surprised. History had already shown him how far people were willing to go to get their hands on a little bit of wealth. He was definitely starting to see a pattern forming in his life. Shaking his head in disgust, he wondered if he would ever find a woman who saw him as something more than a paycheck.

Rubbing his head again, he stood up and headed to the bathroom to seek out some aspirin and water to ease the throbbing pain. Then he trudged back to the bed, straightening out the covers before he climbed back underneath them. Grabbing the spare pillow he pulled it tight over his head, trying to block out the light as he willed himself to relax enough to go back to sleep. After several long minutes, the exhaustion in his body finally overtook his anger and he began to drift off again, his last thought was that he was definitely going to have to get back at Mark for the little trick he'd pulled.


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks so much guys for the reviews! I'm so glad you all are enjoying this. Please keep them coming! :-)**

**Chapter 5**

Waking up a few hours later, Glen finally pulled himself from the bed and headed to the bathroom to shower. Thankfully, his headache was nearly gone and once the warm water awakened him fully, he felt much better.

Once he was showered and dressed, he headed back out to the main room and placed a call to room service. Having missed breakfast, he was now famished and he couldn't wait to eat again. After placing his order, he headed back to the bed and propped himself up against the headboard as he flipped on the television, trying to find something worthwhile to watch while he waited for his food to arrive.

Since he had been given the night off from the house shows, Glen tried to decide what he was going to do for the rest of the day to fill up all his free time. He considered heading out to the arena anyway, just so he could sit around and relax with his friends, but he knew they would all be busy preparing for their matches and he figured he would probably just be in their way. Nixing that idea, he briefly considered leaving the safety of his room to do some sightseeing or shopping but after the incident that had occurred earlier that morning, he really didn't want to take a chance on having a run-in with any more fans.

With a loud sigh, he reclined back onto the bed, resigning himself to simply hanging around his room, maybe catching up on some of the sleep he had apparently missed out on the night before. He shook his head again when he thought about what had happened between him and the psycho-bitch he'd run off earlier. Another one of Mark's brilliant ideas, no doubt. Sometimes he wondered if Mark even had a brain, pulling something that stupid. Hadn't he learned by now that their celebrity status made them both targets for women who were out looking for a free ride? Mark should have known better than to encourage something like that, especially when there was alcohol involved. The last thing Glen knew he needed was to slip up and get one of those women pregnant. There was no doubt they'd try and take him for everything he owned.

A loud knock pulled him from his thoughts and he headed to the door to collect his food, paying the server a hefty tip for his trouble. Closing the door back, he carried his meal across the room and spread it out on the small table hidden in the corner. Sitting down to eat, he flipped through the channels once more, finally settling on a basketball game to entertain him while he ate yet another meal alone.

Once he finished eating his meal, he collected his dishes and sat them in the hallway outside his door, then stepped back into his room and looked around. Now that he had decided to spend the day in his room he needed to find something to do. Glancing toward his bags which were piled on the floor, he spotted his video game system and smiled. Nothing like the distraction of a good video game to pass the time!

Hooking the system up to the tv, he turned it on and inserted one of his favorite games. Hours later, he was surprised when he glanced at the time and saw how long he had been playing. He was always amused at how much time he could waste when he wanted to.

Tired of the game, he turned it off , his eyes roaming around the room, coming to rest on his laptop and he decided he'd search the web for a while, not really looking for anything in particular. He browsed through a few of his favorite sites before he remembered the fan fiction site that he had been looking at a couple of nights previously, before the storm had knocked out his power. As he recalled, there had been one story in particular that had caught his attention, but the electricity had cut off before he had been able to check it out.

_Well, the power's working fine now_, he thought to himself as he brought up the Sinful Nature site and began to search for the story again.

There it was. _The Fire Within_ by Kimberley.

Remembering how ridiculous the other stories had been, he took a deep breath and braced himself for what he was about to find, just in case it was about him. Then he clicked on the title and opened the page. And began to read.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

An hour later, Glen was still reading, completely captivated by the story. He'd found out quickly that his original hunch had been correct. The story was about him. Although he had found it to be awkward at first…reading something that a total stranger had written about him…it hadn't taken him long to become completely emerged in the story. He had quickly discovered that, unlike the other stories he had read, this girl seemed to know almost everything there was to know about him. She had obviously done a lot of research on his career to have written something that portrayed him so accurately.

Of course, there was a lot of made up stuff in it too. The story itself was based on a romance between him and a nonexistent mystery woman and lest he forget, it was called fan "fiction" for a reason. But the details of his life that this woman had included in her work absolutely astounded him. Not only were the facts correct, but the way she described his emotions was simple incredible. He could remember so many of those incidents so clearly and she had managed to capture every ounce of his emotion, just as if she were experiencing them herself. And the writing itself was fantastic. This woman obviously had some major talent.

Glen read the first few chapters that the author had posted, disappointed when he discovered that the story hadn't been completed yet. He realized he would have to wait until she posted more before he could find out what would happen next. Tapping his fingers impatiently on the tabletop, he headed back to the main page of the site, wondering if he might be able to find more of her work. With talent that good, surely she had written more than one story.

After a few minutes of exploring the site, he finally came across a story archive that listed all of the stories by author. Skimming through the list, he quickly found Kimberley's name and he clicked the link to the first story, wondering if all of her work centered on him.

Smiling to himself as he waited for the page to open, he thought that this woman was definitely going to have to watch herself. If all of her stories portrayed him as the same charming and indestructible hero, she would definitely have his ego inflated to unbearable levels!

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Hours later, Glen sat back and rubbed his eyes, which were tired from all of the reading he had done. He had just finished three more of her stories, all of them about him. Just as he had suspected, they had all been wonderful. This woman truly did have some incredible talent.

Heading back to the main page once more, he checked to see if by some chance she had posted more of her latest work, disappointed when he didn't find any new chapters. Clicking on the last chapter she had posted, he read through it once more, wondering how long it would be until she posted more. He was curious to see what she would come up with next.

Reaching the bottom of the page, a small smile tugged at his lips when he noticed the feedback button located in the corner. He studied it for a moment as he debated whether or not he should. He'd noticed that not many people had commented on the last chapters she'd written and she certainly deserved to be praised on them….

Finally clicking on the button, he stared at the blank form as he tried to figure out what to write. He composed a few short sentences complimenting her work, then signed his name. His name? He couldn't sign it with his real name! He didn't want anybody to know that he was actually reading these things. Besides, she'd never believe it was him anyway. Pausing for a moment to settle on a name, he finally decided he'd simply sign his message as "A Fan".

Smiling, he clicked the button to send his feedback, double-checking the new post to make sure it went through. Then taking note of the time, he turned off his computer and headed to the phone to order some supper, then prepared himself for a quiet night of rest and relaxation.

Reclining back on the bed as he waited for his dinner to arrive, he couldn't help but smile. After reading her descriptions of him, Glen felt better about himself than he had in months. Indestructible hero indeed!


	6. Chapter 6

**Thanks again for the reviews. And thank you matt-hardy-lover-101 for your kind words! I'm glad you are enjoying my stories!**

**Chapter 6**

Kimberley sat in front of her computer as she tried to work on the latest chapter of her story, her frustration reaching dangerously high levels. She'd worked all evening on the stupid thing and she just couldn't seem to get things to turn out the way she wanted them to. She briefly considered deleting the entire two chapters she'd just written, in favor of starting them all over again. Maybe then something would finally fall into place.

Saving what she had already, she decided to sleep on it instead. Maybe by the time morning came, she'd have a better idea of what she wanted to do with them. Pulling up the webpage for Sinful Nature, she was beginning to wonder if maybe she should just scrap the entire story altogether. Based on what little feedback she'd gotten on it so far, it didn't seem as though too many people were interested in it.

With that thought in mind, she was surprised when she glanced at the main page of the site and saw that someone had finally left a comment on the last chapters that she had posted. She quickly clicked on the link and brought it up so she could read it.

_Kimberley_

_I have to say that I am amazed by the quality of your work and the amount of detail that you have included here is incredible. You have obviously put a lot of time and effort into your work. I was so impressed with your writing that I went back and read some of your older stories. I just wanted you to know that I think you have incredible talent and I certainly hope to read more of your work soon._

_A Fan_

Nodding her head in approval, Kimberley turned off her computer and stood from her chair, stretching her tired muscles as she moved. At least somebody appreciated all of the hard work she had put into her story.

Climbing into bed, she turned off the light and rolled onto her side, clutching the spare pillow tightly against her, wishing more than anything that it could be Glen there beside of her instead.

"Forget it, Kim. You can't keep torturing yourself like this. You're just a fan, nothing more. That's all you'll ever be to him." she warned herself for the millionth time, already knowing that it wouldn't do any good.

Trying to shake off the feeling of hopelessness that surrounded her, Kimberley wondered if she was crazy for having such a deep longing for a man that she had never met. She knew without a shadow of a doubt that she was hopelessly obsessed with him. It was one thing to watch the shows or write an occasional story or two about him. It was quite another to have her every waking thought overshadowed by her need for him, her desire for him preventing her from letting any other man get close to her, just in case. But so far the only thing she had gotten for her faithfulness was a life filled with loneliness and heartache.

She realized that things were just starting to get too crazy. She had let her emotions overrule her better judgment for way too long. It was time to face reality and move on. Glen wasn't hers. She'd never had him for her own. And she never would. And if she didn't stop this foolish nonsense, she knew she could easily throw away every chance she might have at future happiness, waiting for a man she could never have.

Pulling the pillow tighter to her, she tried to hold back the tears that threatened to fall. She closed her eyes and for the first time in a long while, it wasn't Glen that she wished for. Instead, she simply wished for somebody…anybody…who could chase away her pain. She was tired of being alone. She wanted someone who could make her happy. And if that person couldn't be Glen, then she'd just have to learn to accept it.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Sleep had not helped.

Kimberley stared at the blank page on her computer screen, racking her brain as she desperately tried to think of something to write. She'd been sitting there for over two hours now and she had absolutely nothing to show for it. Laying her head on the desk, she banged her fist on the hard surface as she pleaded for help. All she asked for was one sentence, one phrase, one decent word to get her started and then she'd be happy. But no matter how hard she tried, the page still remained empty. Turning the computer off in disgust, she stood from her chair and walked to the bed, plopping down in the middle of it as she began flipping through the pages of a nearby magazine.

Writer's block. Again. It always seemed to strike at the most inopportune moments. It had been over a week since she had last posted anything on her story and it was starting to look like it might be another whole week before she had another chapter ready to go. She wondered when writing had gotten to be such a chore.

Well, it wasn't like there were a lot of people missing it anyway. If people were enjoying it, not many of them had bothered to leave her any feedback. Except for the one she had gotten several nights ago. She smiled when she thought about the person's kind words. It always made her feel good to have someone compliment her work. If it hadn't been for them, she may have very well forgotten about the story altogether. But if someone had been kind enough to post a response to her work then she felt she owed it to them to finish the story. She didn't want to leave them hanging in the middle. Unfortunately, before she could post anything else, she had to write it. And at the moment, that just wasn't going to happen.

Kim pulled herself from the bed and headed to the bathroom to change into her pajamas. Heading back into the bedroom, she rummaged around in the corner until she found the book she was looking for, then carried it with her back to the bed. She grinned when she looked at the worn cover. She felt silly for reading these things but romance novels were one of her greatest weaknesses, not to mention a great source of inspiration. All she had to do was picture Glen as the main character in the story and the wheels in her mind would instantly start turning. Maybe there would be something in there tonight that would finally give her an idea of how to continue her own story. Settling herself in bed for the evening, she opened the book and began to read.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Sitting alone in his hotel room, Glen turned on his laptop and headed straight to Sinful Nature, hoping that Kimberley had finally updated her story. He sighed in frustration when he scanned down the list and didn't spot anything with her name on it. What the hell was taking her so long? Didn't she know she had people waiting to see what would happen next?

Glen chuckled at himself when he realized what he was thinking. Only a couple of weeks ago he would have refused to read the stuff at all and now here he was obsessing over it. And all because his overactive ego couldn't handle someone writing a story about him.

Glancing back at the screen, he couldn't help but wonder why she hadn't updated her story. Was she sick? Had she been hurt? Maybe she was on vacation.

"Get a grip!" he told himself, when he realized what he was thinking. "Maybe the girl just has a life and she hasn't had time to post anything."

He found himself wondering just what kind of life she did have. After reading some of the stories that the other authors had written, he had just kind of assumed that these people really didn't have a life at all. He figured that they probably just sat around in front of their computers in their underwear all day and were either too ugly or just too weird to actually venture out into the streets. But this woman sounded intelligent, like she actually had some sense about her. And she seemed to be educated too. He wondered what she would really be like if he were to meet her in person.

Shrugging off the thought, he turned his attention back to the screen again. As boredom took over, he searched through the archived stories and randomly clicked on a few of the titles, skimming the paragraphs to see who they were about. After entertaining himself this way for a while, he headed back to the main page and decided to explore the entire site, wondering what else might be there for him to find. He clicked on link after link, examining the contents of each page briefly before moving on to the next. Reaching the last link, he froze in place when the page opened and he realized what it was….a list of author bios. Without hesitation, he quickly glanced down the page, hoping to find Kimberley's name. He had almost given up hope of finding her there, until he reached the bottom of the page and found her name at the very end of the list.

Hesitating for only a moment, he clicked on her name and brought up the file with her bio in it. He was more than pleasantly surprised when the new page opened and he found a picture displayed beside her information. He studied it for a few moments, taking note of how attractive she was. She certainly wasn't his vision of what a fan fiction writer might look like.

Turning his attention to her bio, he discovered that she was 26 years old, that she lived in Virginia and she had been a fan of his for several years now. At least that explained how she knew so much about his life and career. The rest of the information was just a bunch of random facts, basically added just for fun. Likes, Dislikes, Favorites….things of that nature. He read through them quickly before turning his attention back to the picture again.

He wondered why someone so young and pretty would waste their time writing stories about him, when they could be out doing something so much more enjoyable. It just didn't make any sense. As much as he hated to admit it, this woman had definitely piqued his interest. Maybe there was a lot more to this whole fan fiction thing than he had originally thought.

Looking back down at the picture once more, he couldn't help but grin.

Yep, it had definitely had his full attention!


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Kimberley was awakened the next morning by the phone, and she grasped for it blindly as she tried to force herself to open her eyes. After knocking half of the contents off of her dresser, she finally found the receiver and brought it to her ear.

"Hello." she managed to choke out sleepily as she turned and glanced at the clock.

"Girl, don't tell me you're still in the bed. Do you have any idea what time it is?"

Michelle. How could she have ever guessed?

"It's Saturday, Michelle. I thought the weekends were made for sleeping in." Kim replied groggily, as she sat up in the bed.

"Well, in most cases I would tend to agree with you, but not this Saturday. I've already been up for two hours and you'll never guess what I did this morning."

"Uh…sounding from your voice I'd say you went on a caffeine drinking binge. Exactly how much coffee have you had this morning?" Kim joked with her friend.

"Not nearly enough. But that's not the point. I did some snooping on the Internet this morning and I bought you an early birthday present."

"Birthday present? But my birthday's not for another four weeks." Kim replied in confusion.

"Actually that's not a problem, since your present isn't good for another four weeks either."

"Uh..okay….so are you going to tell me what it is or do I have to wait four weeks to find that out too?"

"Okay, okay. Are you sitting down? Because I know you're going to flip when I tell you." Michelle replied, the excitement barely contained in her voice.

"I'm in bed! Somebody called and woke me up, remember!"

"Alright! Geez! Okay…are you ready for this? I bought us both a ticket to the WWE show next month. You're going to go see Glen in person!"

"What?" Kim choked out in disbelief. "Michelle you shouldn't have done that. Those tickets are way too expensive. It's too much."

"It's never too much if it makes my best friend happy. I know you missed the last show because you couldn't afford to buy a ticket. Well, it's not happening this time. I know how much you want to be able to see Glen wrestle live, so here's your chance. And it won't cost you a thing. And we got great seats too. Fourth row. Now all we have to do is find you something a little alluring to wear. We'll see if you can really capture his attention."

"I'm not so sure about that." Kim replied, although the thought was already making her blush. "Anyway, isn't this show like a two hour drive from here?"

"Yeah. That's why I thought we'd get a room and stay there that night after the show. Then we can drive back home the next morning."

"I don't know Michelle. I mean I really appreciate the offer… but it's just too much…"

"Don't worry about it. Kim, this might be your one chance to finally meet Glen in person. You can't sit there and honestly tell me you don't want to go."

Kim smiled into the phone. How had she ever managed to find such a wonderful friend?

"You know if you do this, I'll be indebted to you for the rest of my life. I don't know how I'll ever be able to repay you."

"Don't worry about it. That's what friends are for, right? Besides, I'm not doing this all for just you, you know. My man the Hurricane is going to be there too. Hopefully, I'll get a chance to talk to him again. Who knows, maybe we can get him to introduce you to some of his 'friends'."

Kim laughed out loud at her friend's comments.

"See, I knew you had an ulterior motive for buying those tickets. And here I thought it was because you loved me so much." she teased.

As bad as her obsession was with Glen, it was still mild compared to Michelle's fascination with Shane Helms. After Michelle had been lucky enough to actually meet Shane at the last event she'd gone to, the woman had walked around with her head in the clouds for days.

"So, do you think Shane will remember you?" Kim asked.

"If he doesn't then I'll definitely have to refresh his memory." Michelle replied, wondering if Shane had ever bothered to check out her website.

Unlike Kim, she had no qualms about wanting him to read her work. But she had conveniently left that bit of information out of her conversations with Kim. If her friend knew that one of the wrestlers actually knew about the website, she knew Kim would clam up and never post anything there again. And Sinful Nature just wouldn't be the same without her friend there to help her along.

"So I guess this means that you're going with me?" Michelle teased.

"What choice do I have?" Kim laughed. "You've already spent a fortune on me. There's no way I could refuse."

"Great. Well, gotta go. I think I need another cup of coffee. I'll talk to you in a day or two."

"Okay. Thanks again Michelle. I don't know what I'd ever do without you."

"No problem, sis."

"Bye."

Kim smiled as she hung up the phone. She was finally going to get a chance to see Glen live and in person! Glancing at the pictures she had scattered around on her desk, she sighed loudly. It was going to be a long four weeks.

An hour after her phone call with Michelle, Kimberley was sitting in front of the computer typing away like crazy. Just the possibility of being able to meet Glen had gotten her mind going and she had quickly broken through the writer's block that had plagued her for the past few days. With so many new ideas swirling around in her mind, it hadn't taken her long to figure out how to continue with her story. Since she had finally figured out a way to get Glen and his fictional lover together, she thought it was time to liven things up a little bit.

Calming her nerves, which always seemed to get riled when she tried to write a sex scene involving Glen, she jumped in and started writing. Working diligently, she managed to have a couple of good chapters completed within a few hours and she quickly headed to the site to post them. No sense in keeping her fans waiting any longer than she already had.

Once she had them up, she turned off her computer and headed for the bathroom to shower and get dressed. It looked like it was a beautiful day outside and for the first time in a long while, Kimberley had the urge to go out and do something fun.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

A few hours later, Glen checked Sinful Nature again and was ecstatic to find that Kimberley had finally updated her story. It was about time! He hoped that the wait had been worth it. He hurriedly clicked on the link to the new chapters, anxious to read what she had written.

He read through the first few paragraphs carefully, his face growing warm when he realized exactly where things were headed. Apparently he'd followed this woman, Mona, back to her hotel room and he was knocking on the door, praying that she would let him in and talk to him. Why did he suddenly get the idea that there would be more than talking going on inside that room?

"This ought to be interesting." he murmured to himself with a chuckle, as he continued to read on down the page.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

_Mona flung open the door, her mouth opening in surprise when she saw who was standing before her. Before she had a chance to speak, Glen reached out and snaked one of his arms around her waist, pulling her against him as he lowered his head to claim her lips. He kissed her passionately, slipping his tongue into her warm mouth when he felt her lips part beneath his. Cupping her cheek in one of his large hands, he angled her head to give him better access to her willing mouth. As the kiss grew in intensity, he held her tighter to his body and began to press himself against her, so that she could feel his straining erection, even through the material of his jeans. Without breaking the kiss, he began to gently push her backwards, urging her toward the bed. _

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Unable to quiet the thoughts that were running through his mind while he read, Glen realized after only a few moments that he was already growing hard. Pausing long enough to adjust himself through his jeans, he took a deep breath and continued on with the story.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_Once they reached the bed, Glen quickly undressed her before picking her up and placing her gently in the middle of it. Then taking a step back, he quickly shed his own clothes, wanting nothing more than to join her there. When he was completely naked before her, he paused for a moment when he saw her eyeing him, giving her time to take everything in before he took things any further. _

_Mona studied his massive erection, which was already pulsating strongly with his need for her, impressed with the incredible length of it. He was much larger than any other man she had ever been with before and she wondered briefly if she would be able to take him all. _

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A small grin playing at his lips, Glen cocked his eyebrow and glanced down at the crotch of his jeans for a moment before turning back to the story. This was definitely starting to get interesting!

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_Glen quickly joined Mona on the bed, covering her body with his as he kissed her passionately. His hands wandered shamelessly over her body, teasing and caressing her until she was more than ready for him. _

_Sensing her need, he finally positioned himself at her entrance, capturing her lips in another fierce kiss as he began to push himself inside of her. Mona arched her hips upward against him, trying to take all of him inside. He filled her completely, stretching her warm flesh around his pulsating shaft. _

_Breaking the kiss, Glen moaned loudly at her tightness before he bent his head to kiss and nibble on her neck and throat. Mona clawed frantically at his back, desperately trying to get him to increase his pace. Matching her desperation with a fierceness of his own, he began to thrust harder and faster, pushing her closer and closer toward her release. As the waves of pleasure took over, Glen held her tight to his body, fearful that if he let her go, she might disappear from beneath him. As he slowly came back down from his incredible high, his only thought was please don't let this be a dream._

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Glen finished reading the rest of the chapter and by the time he was done, his whole body felt overheated. Had it suddenly gotten a lot hotter in here? Did it have something to do with the fact that his erection was straining to escape from the confines of his jeans? Or maybe he was just warm from embarrassment?

Although he was no stranger to pornographic material, reading something that erotic with him as the major player was more than a little unnerving. She'd certainly created quite an image for him to uphold. Did this woman really vision him as being that perfect?

"I think she just needs to have her eyes examined." he chuckled, still not understanding why this woman spent her time writing about him.

But even so, he had to admit that he was impressed. She'd written two more flawless chapters, keeping in tune with her previous work. Although something inside nagged at him not to do it, Glen couldn't resist leaving her another feedback message. After painting him in such a perfect light, how could he not respond to her?

Clicking on the button, he quickly typed up a couple of sentences and posted it, before he turned off his computer and stood from his chair. Glancing down at the bulge in his jeans once more, he adjusted himself again before he turned and headed toward the bathroom. He needed a shower. A very cold shower.

Oh yes…things were starting to get very hot in here!


	8. Chapter 8

**I think tonight will be a two chapter night, just for Blackhat, for all of her wonderful comments! :) Thanks to all of you who have reviewed. I'm glad you are enjoying this!**

**Chapter 8**

Kimberley unlocked the door and entered her apartment, tossing her armful of bags and boxes onto the bed. After realizing that Michelle was right, she had decided to finally venture outside of her apartment for the day, wanting to do something good for herself for a change. She needed a change of pace, a distraction from her everyday normal existence that had kept her hidden inside herself for so long. And, of course, what better way to make her feel good about herself than to go on a shopping spree. Shopping always made her forget about her problems, at least temporarily, until the bills came. But that would be another worry for another day. Right now, she couldn't be bothered with such trivial matters.

Emptying the bags, she examined all of her purchases, holding them up to her body as she gazed at them in the mirror, blushing when she remembered that she had bought each one of them with Glen in mind.

"Yeah, like he'll ever see these." she chuckled to herself as she held up the matching black lace bra and panty set she had bought on a whim.

Tossing them back onto the bed with the rest of her purchases, she headed to her computer and turned it on, curious to see if she had gotten any responses to her story yet. Much to her surprise, she brought up the Sinful Nature site and sure enough there was one message waiting for her. Clicking on the link, she opened it up and began to read.

_Kimberley_

_Once again you have done an incredible job with this story. As always, keep up the great work and I'll anxiously be waiting for more._

_A Fan_

Smiling at the author's kind words, Kim briefly scanned the site, searching for any new posts, before she turned off the computer and stood from her chair. Maybe later she would have time to sit down and write another chapter or two. But for now, she had a whole new wardrobe that needed to be straightened and put away.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Later that night, Kimberley finally found the time to do more writing. In fact, due to her excitement over the upcoming show, she had completely gotten over her case of writer's block and she actually found herself working overtime on her story, her mind bombarded with all kinds of new ideas.

Day after day, her schedule remained the same. She would get up in the morning and head to work, work all day at her job, then return home in the evenings and work on her story until late into the night. And each night, she would write one or two chapters and post them on the site, then get up the next morning only to find that her "Fan" had posted another reply.

Since she'd gotten very little feedback from anyone else, Kim had started to feel as though she were writing the story especially for this person. She wondered if they had any idea how good their comments made her feel, although deep down she wished that more than one person would respond. But even if there was only this one solitary person who was entertained by her work, it was good enough for her. She'd make sure she did her best not to disappoint them. And even if this story did nothing for anybody else, it at least kept her mind occupied while she waited for the day of the show to arrive. Kimberley was sure that if she didn't have her fiction to provide her with a much needed distraction, she would completely lose her mind by the time it got there. The thought of finally getting to see Glen in person was slowly starting to drive her mad.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Staring at herself in the mirror, Kimberley nervously smoothed out the sleeves of the blouse she was wearing as she took a deep breath to calm her nerves. She couldn't believe that it was finally here. That in only a few short hours she would be sitting in her seat, watching a live WWE event. More specifically, that she would be sitting in her seat watching Glen wrestle live. The thought of actually being in the same building as the man was almost more than she could stand.

"Take deep breaths. Slow, deep breaths." she told herself as she tried to slow her racing heart.

Glancing in the mirror once more, she grimaced and ripped the blouse off of her, throwing it to the floor as she turned back to her closet to search for something else. A knock at the door interrupted her frantic digging and she quickly slipped on her robe as she went to answer it. She breathed a sigh of relief when she opened the door and found Michelle standing on the other side, clad in a pair of jeans and her green Hurricane t-shirt, with matching green streaks throughout her hair. Kim had to look twice to make sure she was seeing things correctly. Sometimes she really worried about that girl!

"Don't tell me you're wearing THAT to the show tonight!" Michelle teased when she saw Kim standing in front of her with her fluffy pink bathrobe on.

"I very well might if I can't find something that looks any better." Kim snapped back, forgetting all about her friend's colored hair as she grabbed her hand and led her back to her bedroom.

Michelle's mouth dropped open when she stepped into the room and saw the clothes scattered all over the place.

"It looks like a tornado touched down in here! What did you do, try on your entire closet?"

"Pretty much. Michelle, I need your help. I want to look good tonight but I don't have any idea what to wear."

"What happened to all those new outfits you bought on your shopping spree a while back? I thought you had one of those picked out to wear tonight."

"I did. But….I had to take everything back when the bills came. I kind of went overboard with everything that I bought." Kim admitted sheepishly.

Michelle shook her head in disbelief as she surveyed the scene in front of her.

"We definitely need to find you a man, if for no other reason than to pay the bills. No woman should ever have to return clothes!" she teased, as she picked a couple of shirts off of the floor and examined them.

"Michelle, this is no time for jokes! We have to leave here in thirty minutes or we won't make it to the show in time and I'm not even dressed yet! Help me!"

"Okay, okay! Geez…just calm down. You're not going on a date with the guy Kim, you're just going to watch him wrestle. It's not that big of a deal."

Kim sighed at Michelle's words, knowing all too well that they were true. Maybe she was taking things a little overboard. She knew there would be a very slim chance of getting Glen to notice her at all, especially in such a large crowd. More than likely, she'd go to the show, sit there for three hours, then head back home and Glen would never even know she'd been there. But even so, she wanted to look nice, just in case.

"Here. Try this." Michelle stated as she tossed Kim another shirt from the closet, pulling her from her thoughts. Quickly shedding her robe, Kim slipped the top over her head as she rushed to the bathroom to finish getting ready.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Thirty minutes later, the girls were piled into Michelle's car, well on their way to the arena. Michelle had dressed Kim in a simple pair of form fitting black jeans and a plain, low-cut, red knit shirt. Kane's colors, as she had quickly pointed out.

At first Kim had been afraid that her outfit was almost too plain. But after she had gotten dressed and examined herself in the mirror, she had to admit that maybe Michelle's judgment wasn't so bad. Her top helped accentuate her full breasts and the jeans helped to show off her curvy figure. She looked nice, a little alluring but not trashy. She really didn't look half bad. And of course, what better way to support her man than to wear his colors, although she had quickly changed the subject when Michelle had mentioned the idea of red streaks in her hair.

Gazing out the window at the passing scenery, Kim sat quietly with her hands in her lap, praying that the night would go well. A good time. A good show. A chance to see Glen. She really couldn't ask for anything more. Determined to have a good time for once in her life, she couldn't help but wonder what kind of surprises the evening would hold.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Kim and Michelle stood at the back entrance to the arena, peering through the chain link fence that separated them from the men of their dreams. Thanks to a few risky driving moves that would have made even the most seasoned NASCAR driver envious, they had managed to arrive at the arena in record breaking time, although Kim was just thankful that a record was the only thing that was broken. She silently swore that if they made it back home in one piece, she'd never ride anywhere with Michelle again. The girl was just an accident waiting to happen!

Since they had some time to kill before the show, they had decided to hang around outside for a while, hoping to catch a glimpse of some of the guys that were milling around the back door of the arena. Kim eyed the doors carefully, barely blinking, for fear of missing Glen if she did. She wondered for a moment if she could scream loud enough to get his attention if she were to see him, although she was way too bashful to ever try something so bold. No, she would just stand there quietly and wait, and hope that by some slim chance he would acknowledge that she was there.

After several minutes of waiting, Michelle perked up and poked Kim in the ribs when they saw another car pull into the back parking lot. The fans began to scream in anticipation, eager to see who was inside and Kim nearly fainted when she saw none other than Glen himself exit the car and rush toward the building.

"It's Glen! Kim, it's him! It's Glen!" Michelle yelled over the noise of the crowd as she shook her friend.

Screaming at the top of her lungs, Michelle tried to get his attention, but her voice was barely audible over the rest of the crowd. Kim never took her eyes off of his large frame as he quickly crossed the parking lot, too stunned to do anything that might get him to notice her.

Without even glancing in their direction, Glen threw up his hand and waved at the crowd before disappearing inside the building. Kim stood quietly, still stunned over what had just happened, the realization that she had just let her chance of ever speaking to him just slip away finally sinking into her head.

"Girl, did you see him? Damn he looked fine!" Michelle said as she turned and spoke to Kim again, immediately noticing the look of disappointment that had crossed her friend's face. Michelle quickly grabbed her and pulled her away from the fence.

"Don't worry about it Kim. The night's not over yet. You might still have a chance." she stated as she pulled her friend around to the front of the building. "Come on. Let's go inside and see what kind of trouble we can get into, shall we?"

Casting one last look around her, Kim finally surrendered to her friend's urging and followed her up the stairs and into the arena. Michelle was right. The night was just beginning. She couldn't let herself worry over what had just happened. She'd come here tonight to have a good time and that was exactly what she intended to do!

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Rushing past the group of fans who were gathered outside the back door, Glen prayed that he could get into the dressing room and get changed before anyone noticed he was late. He felt guilty for ignoring the fans, but he just didn't have time to stop for any autographs today. He'd taken a wrong turn on his way to the arena and had found himself on the other side of the city before he had even realized he was in the wrong place. The traffic hadn't been kind to him either, so he was now over an hour late. He hoped that his absence had gone unnoticed, because if it hadn't, he was sure to be in for a major ass chewing by one of the road agents. And after sitting in a traffic jam for an hour, he was in no mood to listen.

Finally reaching the dressing room, he found it nearly deserted as most of the other guys had already changed and were now out socializing around the back stage area. Quickly changing into his costume, Glen sat down on the bench and pulled his laptop out of his bag. He still had a few minutes to spare before he had to start preparing for his match, so he thought he'd check to see if Kimberley had left any new chapters for him to read yet. Maybe her flattering descriptions of him would give him that extra confidence he needed in order to put on a great show. Pulling up the site, his hopes fell when he saw there was nothing new from her posted there.

"Guess I'll have to wait until later." he mumbled, as he closed up the computer and put it away.

Sighing in disappointment, he bent down to lace up his boots, pushing all thoughts of fan fiction from his mind, determined to concentrate on his match instead. These fans had come to see a good show tonight and that was exactly what he intended to give them!


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

The show went off without a hitch and despite her earlier disappointment, Kimberley actually found herself having a good time. The entire show had been wonderful, although Glen's match was by far her favorite match of the night. She hadn't been able to pry her eyes away from him the entire time he was in the ring, not wanting to miss even a moment of the action. She wanted to make sure that she remembered every detail of this night for many nights to come.

When the last match was finished, the majority of the crowd slowly began to make their way toward the exits. It was late and people were tired and most of them were eager to head home and get some rest. There were however a few stragglers who lagged behind, hoping for one last glimpse of the stars and possibly an autograph or two before they finally headed out to brave the traffic.

Tearing off a corner of her program, Michelle jotted down a short note and handed it off to one of the security guards. After a little bit of extra flirting, she finally convinced him to take the note to Shane, hoping that by some unusual chance he would remember her from their last encounter.

"So, did you have a good time tonight?" Michelle asked as she took her seat beside Kim again, looking around her as she waited for the security guard to return.

"It was wonderful. I just wish it could have lasted longer. I'd love to watch Glen wrestle one more time."

Michelle nodded her head in agreement.

"And wasn't Shane just incredible tonight? Both of our guys put on a great performance." Michelle teased.

"They're not OUR guys Michelle. In case you haven't noticed, they haven't exactly been breaking down any barriers to get to us." Kim replied sarcastically.

"Only because they don't know we're here. Give 'em some time and they'll be beggin' to be ours." Michelle replied with a giggle.

Kimberley shook her head in amusement and the two of them chatted for a few minutes longer, until the security guard finally returned and caught their attention. Motioning for them to follow him, he led them around the metal barrier and through the curtain into the backstage area, where Shane was waiting. Kim nearly fainted when she saw him standing there, watching as Michelle rushed over to him and gave him a big hug, which Shane returned with much enthusiasm.

"I take it he remembers you then." Kim stated from right behind them, causing Michelle to jump at her closeness.

"Of course I remember her." Shane replied, as he offered Michelle a wink. "After reading all of the wonderful things she wrote about me, I haven't been able to get her out of my mind."

"The things she wrote about you?" Kim repeated, looking from Shane to Michelle in confusion.

"Yeah. On her site. The last time I saw her, she gave me the address and told me to check it out. And I must say, I was VERY impressed with her work." Shane replied, as he slipped his arm around Michelle's shoulder.

Seeing the look on Kim's face, Michelle quickly pulled herself away from Shane and tried to change the subject.

"Uh…I don't think you two have been properly introduced. Shane, this is my best friend in the whole world, Kimberley. Kim, this is Shane Helms, otherwise known as the Hurricane."

"Ah. Of course, the Hurricane. Haunter of dreams, thief of hearts, subject of many a woman's fantasy." Kim replied with mock amusement as she flashed Michelle an angry glare.

"You are too kind. But what can I say, I always try to help out wherever I'm needed, especially with the ladies." Shane replied as he tried to hide the blush that was creeping into his cheeks.

Sensing that things were about to get just a little too deep for her, Michelle cut the conversation off again.

"Kim here is a big fan of Kane's. Uh…he wouldn't happen to still be around here someplace, would he?" she asked.

Kim's eyes grew big as she stared at her friend. She couldn't believe how bold she was acting.

"No, I'm sorry. You just missed him." Shane replied as he shook his head. "He left just a little while ago. He was headed back to his hotel room for the night."

Michelle's smile faded when she saw Kim's face fall, her hope of meeting Glen completely dashed for the second time that night. Wrapping her hands around Shane's arm, she squeezed it playfully as she looked up into his face.

"You didn't happen to catch a room number, did ya? Do you think he'd be interested in some company tonight?"

_Jeez Michelle! Could you possibly make me look any more desperate!, _Kim thought to herself, as she tried her best not to blush.

"Sorry. I'm not even sure which hotel he's staying at." Shane replied, as he gave Kim a sympathetic look.

"Sorry Kim. I tried." Michelle stated, as she cast her friend another glance.

"It's okay Michelle. I guess I should probably head back to our room anyway and get caught up on some rest. It's been a pretty hectic day." Kim sighed, as she turned to leave.

Pausing for a moment, Michelle glanced back up at Shane.

"So, what hotel are you staying at?" Michelle asked playfully, as she gave Shane's arm another squeeze. "Gonna give me directions on how to get there later?"

Shane chuckled. "How about I just take you there myself pretty lady. That way, I'll make sure you don't get lost."

Michelle hesitated as she glanced at Kim once more.

"Well, I'd love to but I need to take Kim back to our room first. I can't just leave her stranded here."

"It's okay Michelle. I can drive myself back to the hotel. You go ahead and go with Shane." Kim replied, unable to avoid overhearing their conversation.

Pulling herself away from Shane's side, Michelle led Kim further down the hall, so they could talk in private.

"Are you sure about this Kim? I don't want you to have to sit by yourself in some stuffy old hotel room all night. Are you sure you don't want me to come back with you?"

"I'll be fine Michelle really. Besides, why on earth would you possible want to stay with me, when you've got a man like that waiting on you?" she replied, as she pointed to Shane who was watching them curiously.

Michelle dug her keys out of her pocket and handed them to Kim.

"Are you sure?" she asked one last time, feeling guilty for leaving her friend by herself.

"I'm positive. You've waited too long for this for me to stop you now. Now quit worrying about me and go get your man!"

"Thanks sis! I definitely owe you one!" Michelle replied, hugging her friend tight before she turned and headed back toward Shane.

Kim watched as Shane wrapped his arm around Michelle's shoulders and led her toward the back entrance of the arena. Staring down at the keys that were dangling from her hand, Kim shrugged as she turned and headed toward the parking lot. She couldn't find it in her heart to be mad at her friend. At least she knew somebody would be gettin' some tonight.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Glen hurried back to his hotel room, unloading his bags on the floor as he dug his laptop out of its carrying case. Heading toward the table, he opened it up and turned it on, immediately bringing up the Sinful Nature site.

Tapping his fingers impatiently while he waited, he froze when the page came up and he realized that Kimberley still hadn't updated her story.

_What the hell is taking her so long?, _he thought to himself as he glanced at his watch. She always had her updates completed by this time of night.

Slamming his fist on the table in frustration, he stared at the page for a moment, before he clicked on the link to the author bios. Bringing up her information, Glen stared at her picture for a long while, his mind full of questions about this intriguing young lady. Who was this girl? What did she do for a living? What was she like? He wondered again why she hadn't posted anything that evening, hoping that she was okay.

Turning off the computer, Glen stood from his chair and glanced around the room, which suddenly seemed too small for him. Opening his bag, he quickly changed into his workout clothes and grabbed his key card before heading out the door. Maybe a late night workout was exactly what he needed to help him burn off his sudden burst of restless energy.

Heading to the elevators, he pushed the call button and stood back as he waited for the car to arrive. Lost in his thoughts, Glen paid little attention when the doors opened and he stepped forward, nearly knocking over the small blonde who was inside as she tried to exit the car.

She mumbled a quiet apology when she bumped up against him, not even bothering to lift her head to look him in the eye as she spoke. Taking a step back to make sure she was okay, Glen watched her small form retreat down the hallway, wondering briefly why she seemed so familiar to him. Shrugging off the strange feeling that was settling into him, he entered the elevator again and hit the button to close the door.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Shaking off the impact from the large man in the elevator, Kimberley dejectedly made her way down the hall toward her room, trying her best to ward off the feelings of jealousy that were beginning to well up inside of her. She didn't want to feel that way about her friend. She knew that Michelle would have been more than happy for her if the tables were turned and she had gotten to meet Glen. So why couldn't she shake these horrible feelings that were suddenly weighing her down? If she was supposed to be so happy for her, why did she suddenly feel like crying?

Unlocking her door, Kim quickly stepped inside and closed it behind her, collapsing against it as her legs gave way. Once she was inside the safety of her room, she finally gave in to the strong emotions that were coursing through her, letting her tears flow freely as she sank to the floor.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Inside the elevator, the realization suddenly hit Glen head on and he stepped forward quickly, wedging himself in the door before it could close completely. Stepping back out into the hallway, he looked down the hall just in time to see the small woman disappear into her room. Rushing down the corridor, he stopped when he reached her door.

Had he just seen …?

No. No, there was no way it was her. His mind was just playing tricks on him, that was all. Besides, what on earth would she be doing there?

Maybe she was in town for the match, he answered to himself in logical order, wondering again if it could have been her. That would explain why she hadn't posted anything that evening….

Glen raised his hand to knock, catching himself before he did something stupid. What if it wasn't her? He'd look like a fool then. Or better yet, what if it was her? What would he say to her?

"Get yourself together, man." he murmured to himself, as he pulled himself away from the door and headed back to the elevator.

There was absolutely no way it could have been her. It was too much of a coincidence to expect her to be there in the same place he was.

Kicking himself for his stupidity, Glen headed back to the elevators and stepped inside, pushing the button for the main floor. As the elevator began its decent, Glen leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes, hoping that a strenuous workout would finally help him clear his head.


	10. Chapter 10

**Thanks again for all of the reviews! I think this is by far my favorite out of all the stories that I've written and I'm so glad you like it too! **

**Chapter 10**

It wasn't her.

It couldn't have been.

There was no reason to believe that it was.

It was just too unlikely.

So why did Glen suddenly find himself standing in front of her door again?

"I can't believe I'm doing this." he muttered to himself as he stared at the number on the door. "What the hell is wrong with me?"

He'd actually managed to keep himself in the gym for almost thirty minutes, although he had gotten nothing accomplished in that small amount of time. No matter how hard he tried to block out the thoughts, his mind kept traveling back to the blonde headed woman that he had seen upstairs. Finally, his curiosity had gotten the better of him. And now here he was, standing in the hallway again.

Logically, he told himself that he had absolutely no reason to be there. The chance of this woman being the same one whose work he had been reading on the Internet was about as slim as it could possibly be. But then he began to check off the items in his head, telling himself that maybe the idea wasn't so far-fetched after all. They were in a city that was only a couple of hours away from the state of Virginia, where, according to her bio, she claimed to live. Depending on what part of the state she was located in, it was plausible for her to actually drive two or three hours to come to the show. That would also explain why she was staying in a hotel. The drive home would be too long for her to make tonight. And she was obviously busy with something. If she HAD come to the show, that would explain why she hadn't updated her story. So maybe there was a chance that it could be her after all.

Glen argued back and forth with himself for several moments, thankful that there was nobody else moving about in the hallway. As long as he had been standing there, if someone had seen him outside her door muttering and talking to himself, they would have reported his suspicious behavior to management a long time ago. And being arrested for stalking was not really on his agenda for the night.

"Might as well do this and get it over with." he muttered again, knowing that if he didn't, his sleep would be scarce that night.

_I'll knock on the door, see that it isn't her, she'll tell me I'm crazy and I can finally go back to my room and get some sleep_, he thought, hoping that the woman was still awake.

Raising his hand, he knocked softly on the door, his mind racing as he desperately tried to think of what he was going to say to her when she opened it.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Inside the room, Kimberley had finally picked herself up off of the floor and pulled herself back together. A good cry had made her feel somewhat better, although she still felt a tinge of jealousy course through her when she thought of how lucky her friend was.

Without even bothering to change her clothes, Kim stretched out on the bed and gazed up at the ceiling, replaying the night's events over and over again in her mind. She'd finally gotten to see Glen live. She couldn't believe how much bigger he was in person. He was absolutely amazing to watch. So strong and athletic. And she could tell by watching him that he absolutely loved what he did. He seemed to be so passionate about it. It was no wonder he had so many enthusiastic fans. Kim sighed when she thought of how close she'd come to actually being able to talk with him. But unfortunately, things just hadn't worked out that way.

Her mind wandered from the matches to the conversation she'd had backstage with Michelle and Shane, fully coming to the realization of what they had been talking about. Michelle had given Shane the address to her site. And he had actually gone there to read her work! She felt a pit forming in her stomach. She prayed that Shane had actually kept the news of the site to himself. If the other wrestlers knew about the site and had checked it out….well, she didn't even want to think about the possibilities. If she thought for one moment that Glen had read any of her stories about him, she'd find herself a big hole to crawl into and refuse to ever come out again.

As the exhaustion from the night's events began to creep over her, Kim was almost on the verge of dozing off when a knock at the door startled her. Opening her eyes, she glanced toward it, confused, wondering who on earth would be coming to see her at this time of night.

As she got up to answer it, she thought for a moment that maybe it was Michelle, but somehow Kim knew she shouldn't expect to see her back anytime before dawn, if she came back at all. Knowing Michelle, she was liable to hold Shane hostage in his room until the police caved in the door and drug her away.

Reaching the door, Kim didn't even bother checking to see who it was as she unlocked the chain. Turning the knob, she quickly pulled the door open, her eyes focusing on the chest of whoever was on the other side. Recognizing his clothes, Kim realized that it was the large man that she had collided with in the elevator earlier that evening.

Letting her gaze wander up the remainder of his body, her eyes slowly came to rest on his face. Grabbing the door frame for support, her jaw hit the floor when Kim realized who was standing right in front of her.

Glen stared down at the small woman in complete disbelief. It WAS her! He couldn't believe that she was actually here!

Kim stared up at Glen with the same stunned expression, still not believing that he was standing right in front of her. What in the world was he doing here?

Realizing that she was on the verge of actually drooling on the man's shoes, she pulled herself together as best as she could and finally managed to squeak out a few words.

"C..can I h..help you?" she stammered her grip tightening on the door frame in anticipation of his response. She knew the sound of his voice could easily have her melting into a puddle at his feet.

Also coming to the realization that he was staring, Glen suddenly remembered where he was and tried to regain his composure.

"Are you Kimberley?" he asked, although he already knew what her answer would be. He'd studied her picture enough to know it was her.

_How does he know my name?_, Kim thought as she nodded her head, not trusting herself to speak again so soon.

Glen frowned at her response, thinking that perhaps he had frightened her.

"Uh…I'm sorry. I should have introduced myself first. My name is Glen…"

"I know who you are." Kimberley interrupted, her voice barely above a whisper.

Glen nodded his head at her words as he finally broke his stare and lifted his gaze to peer into the room behind her, taking note that it appeared to be empty. He breathed a sigh of relief at the discovery. He'd never even considered the possibility that she might be there with someone else, specifically a boyfriend or husband.

"Uh…I'd really like to talk with you a moment if you're not busy." Glen stated softly as he glanced back down at her face. "Do you mind if I come inside for a few minutes?"

Shaking her head again, Kimberley stepped to the side so he could enter her room. She closed the door behind him, then turned to watch him walk toward the middle of the room as she took a deep breath to compose herself. Thinking that maybe she was dreaming, she pinched herself hard, then whimpered from the pain. Nope, she was very much awake!

Looking at Glen again, she wondered what he wanted to talk to her about. And how in the hell had he known her name?

Michelle! The answer presented itself to her before she even finished asking herself the question. Michelle and Shane must have run into Glen somewhere and Michelle must have given Glen her hotel and room information. Knowing how much her friend liked to talk, Kim figured that Michelle had probably already filled Glen in on every single detail of her pathetically boring life. No wonder the man already knew who she was. The poor thing had probably agreed to come and see her just to get Michelle to shut up!

Seeing Glen turn toward her again and give her a questioning look, she took another deep breath to calm herself before following him across the room.

Motioning him toward the sitting area on the other side of the room, Kim took a seat on one end of the couch and turned to face him as he took a seat on the other end. Glen smiled when he looked over at her, noticing the confusion that was visible on her face. Truthfully, he was just as confused as she was. He really wasn't sure why he was still here and he had absolutely no idea what he was going to say to her or how he was going to explain how he knew who she was.

Glancing at her again, Glen could see her staring at him in anticipation, so he nervously cleared his throat as he tried to think of something to say.

"I guess you're wondering what I'm doing here…" he began, pausing as he tried to gather his thoughts. "Uh…it's kind of strange and you're probably going to think I'm crazy when I tell you this but…."

"Michelle." she stated quietly, surprised when she saw the look of confusion on Glen's face intensify.

"Michelle?" he repeated questioningly.

"My friend Michelle…the girl who was with Shane. She sent you here to talk with me, didn't she?" Kim asked.

Glen shook his head slowly.

"I don't know who you're talking about." he replied. "Nobody sent me here to talk to you. I, uh, I saw you earlier…in the elevator. It took me a few seconds before I recognized who you were…or rather, who I thought you were. But I wasn't absolutely sure it was you until just now when you answered the door."

"Recognize me? From where?" Kim asked, now more confused that ever. "If you didn't talk to Shane or Michelle, how did you know my name?"

"I recognized you from your picture. On the site. I was looking on there the other day and I came across your personal information. When I saw you outside the elevator….I was pretty sure that it was you."

"Site?" she asked warily, not sure she wanted to hear his response. Surely he wasn't talking about…

"Yeah…that site on the Internet. Sinful Nature. I was reading some of your work and I happened to come across the author bio page so I looked up your information and found your picture there. That's how I knew it was you." he replied.

Kim stared at him in disbelief, her face turning crimson red. He knew about the site? He'd read her work? How…? Why…?

_Oh dear God! Not the smut!_, she thought, feeling the color drain from her face when she realized that he had probably read all of the lurid things she had written about him.

Seeing her face turn a ghostly shade of white and noticing that she looked like she was about ready to throw herself out of the window, Glen quickly tried to think of something to say to calm her down.

"No…please don't take what I'm saying the wrong way. I've really enjoyed reading your work. You're a very talented writer."

Kim looked at him in astonishment, still embarrassed when she thought of all the things she had written about him. How could he not be mad at her over that?

Noticing that she didn't seem to be too convinced by his words, Glen once again attempted to calm her.

"I started reading the story that you're working on now. _The Fire Within_. You had me hooked from the very beginning. I can't believe how accurately you've portrayed my life…my emotions. When I started reading it I felt as though I was relieving the events all over again. I can tell that you really put a lot of thought and effort into your work."

Kim continued to stare at him, her mind not truly able to comprehend what he was saying to her. The only thing she could think of right now was that he had actually read her stories. The one thing that she had feared the most…the one thing that Michelle had swore would never happen….HAD happened. And all because Michelle had to go and open her big mouth and blab about the site to Shane. She wondered how many of the other wrestlers knew about the site too.

"I was so impressed with your story that I went to the archive list and read all of your other work that was listed there. I thought that all of your stories were wonderful." Glen continued. "I'm almost ashamed to admit it but I think I've turned into an addict. I usually find myself going crazy while I'm waiting for you to post another chapter or two. I'm always eager to see what else you're going to come up with next."

Glen paused and looked over at Kim intently, seeing that his words did not seem to be having the intended effect on her. If anything, she appeared to be more distraught now than had been a few minutes ago. Cursing himself for his stupidity, he moved closer to her, wanting desperately to find some way to ease her embarrassment.

"I'm sorry." she mumbled softly when she felt him move closer to her, keeping her eyes focused on her hands which were twitching nervously in her lap. "I had no business writing such horrible things about you."

"There's nothing to be sorry about." Glen murmured softly, as he hooked a finger under her chin and raised her gaze to his face. "I'll admit that it was kind of strange at first…trying to read about myself that way. But really, it's flattering to have someone portray me in such a positive manner."

Kim blushed again as she dropped her gaze back to her lap. The smut again. She wondered if that was what he was referring to.

She closed her eyes as she tried to control the panic that was spreading through her. Why on earth had she ever allowed herself to start writing sex scenes with Glen in them? For that matter, why on earth had she ever allowed herself to start writing about him at all? If only she had been able to control her raging hormones, then none of it would have happened and she wouldn't be in this big mess.

"You're not mad at me?" Kim finally asked softly when she realized that Glen was still staring at her.

Tilting her face back up to his, Glen stared deep into her eyes.

"No. I'm not mad at you."

Swallowing hard, Kim tried not to lose herself in his eyes.

"You're not going to sue me, are you?" she whispered again as she stared up at him.

Glen chuckled softly and Kim felt her whole insides tingle at the sound.

"No. I'm not going to sue you."

He smiled slightly when he saw the relief begin to creep into her face. He didn't want her to be fearful or embarrassed around him. Not after all the wonderful things she'd written about him. Now that he actually had her here in front of him, he wanted to find out so much more about her. But the only way he was going to be able to do that was if he got her to relax. Otherwise he wasn't going to get her to open up to him at all.

Gazing down at her, he remembered how she had portrayed him as being so bold and confident in her story. He wondered if that was really how she pictured him to be. If she would be upset if he were to be that bold with her. Was that what she really wanted? Is that what she expected from him?

Brushing his thumb against her cheek, he dropped his gaze to her lips, feeling her ragged intake of breath as he touched her.

What if he were to act that way with her? Would she accept him? Or would she turn him away?

Glen wrestled with his conflicting emotions as he continued to stare at her, wondering when things had gotten so complicated. He had come here simply to ease his curiosity. To gain himself some much needed peace of mind. And now he had…this. The conflict. The confusion. The questions that he wanted…needed… to have the answers to.

Suddenly, the boundaries between reality and fiction no longer existed. His vision of himself distorted through the eyes of another, his own mind suddenly full of doubts.

Was he really the man he thought he was or was he the man she wanted him to be?


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Glen continued to stare down at Kimberley, his thumb moving absentmindedly from her cheek down to her lips as his thoughts wandered. He didn't know where this sudden desire had come from. He didn't know this woman. All he had was a vague image of her, gathered from her writing and what little personal information he had already obtained from the website. He'd only been in her presence for a matter of minutes. So where exactly had this come from?

Looking down at her again, his gaze fastened on her lips and he felt the questions multiply. Even though he really didn't know her, the familiarity that he had gained from reading her work day in and day out was somehow comforting to him. He felt as though he knew her. He felt as though this was right. After all, she had written about things like this. She had written about being in situations like this with HIM. She expected him to make the first move. She expected him to take control. She expected him to do this.

Didn't she?

Of course she did.

Maybe.

Glen sighed. He wasn't any closer to finding the answers. All he knew was that he didn't want to do anything to disappoint her.

As he tried to resolve his inner turmoil, Kim returned his gaze, confused by the intense look that seemed to darken his face. Then she noticed his eyes drop to her lips and her heart began to race when she considered the possibility of what he might be about to do. He suddenly looked as though he could eat her alive and at the moment, she wasn't really sure if the idea was more exciting or frightening to her.

When she finally saw him lower his face to hers, Kim closed her eyes and waited, resigning herself to her fate. She wanted this…and yet, she was terrified of this. She'd dreamed of this moment for so long. But somehow, reality was so much more….frightening.

She felt her body tremble. He was so close now she could smell his warm, masculine scent. She could feel the heat flowing from his body in waves. He was so close…..

A loud noise suddenly broke the spell, causing them to pull apart quickly. Kim lazily opened her eyes and gazed at Glen for a long moment before the persistent sound finally captured her full attention. Looking around the room, her eyes came to rest on the phone.

The phone?

Who the hell was calling her at this time of night?

Remembering what had happened when she asked herself the same question about the door, Kim pushed the thought out of her mind before she hesitantly stood and went to answer it.

"Hey woman! Didn't wake you did I?" the tired but cheerful voice on the other end asked.

"Michelle? What are you doing?" Kim whispered, trying to keep her voice down so Glen wouldn't overhear her.

"I just wanted to call and check up on you. I still feel bad for running off on you like I did tonight. I just wanted to make sure that you were okay."

"Oh…well….I'm fine." Kim replied as she turned and looked at Glen, who was still sitting on the couch.

"At least, I think I am." she mumbled to herself, seeing the way he was still looking at her.

"What did you say? You're gonna have to speak up Kim. I can barely hear you."

"I said I'm fine." Kim lied, turning her attention back to her friend. "I told you not to worry about me. Besides, where's Shane? I can't believe you actually let him out of your sight long enough to call me."

"Oh I haven't let him out of my sight. He's lying right here beside of me….asleep." Michelle replied with a giggle.

"The poor thing. I hope you didn't hurt him." Kim teased.

"Oh don't worry. I haven't hurt him too bad…yet. Let's just say I've found a certain superhero's weakness. And it's not Kryptonite, if you know what I mean." Michelle laughed again, causing Kim to chuckle along with her.

Watching her as she talked to the person on the other end of the phone, Glen berated himself for what had almost happened. How in the world could he possibly be so foolish? He didn't know this woman! Not really, anyway. He had formed his own preconceived notions about her from reading her work but he didn't even know how close those ideas where to being true. He didn't know anything about her life. He didn't know anything about her past. He didn't know anything about what she wanted from the future. He didn't know what she liked or disliked….

_She likes wrestling, drag racing, pizza and ice cream_, he thought, remembering the list she had included in her bio. _And she hates….._

_What the hell am I thinking?, _he thought to himself, when he realized what he was doing. _I do not know HER!_

_This is getting too crazy. I've got to get out of here!_ he warned himself, as he stood from the couch and prepared to leave.

But the sound of her laughter caught his attention and Glen glanced in her direction once more, her smile taking his breath away. She was even more attractive than her picture had shown her to be, especially when she smiled like that. Once again he felt the conflict begin to rise within him. How could he leave her like this now? How could he stay? What would he have to do to find his peace of mind again?

Saying goodnight to her friend, Kim hung up the phone and took a deep breath, trying to gather the courage to face Glen again after what had almost happened between them. Dropping her gaze to the floor, she turned around slowly and found herself walking straight into his arms. Looking up at him in surprise, she noticed that he was still looking at her with that same hungry expression.

Without warning, he wrapped one arm around her waist while he tangled his other hand through her hair, angling her head as his lips came crashing down on hers. Caught completely off guard by his assault, she fought against him for a few brief seconds before wrapping her own arms around his neck and surrendering herself to him with a loud moan. Slipping his tongue between her parted lips, Glen growled softly when he felt her body press against his. Deepening the kiss, he felt all of his questions disappear into a haze of desire.

So she had wanted this after all!

Well, who was he to deny her what she so strongly desired? If this was what she had been waiting for, then he thought he would gladly give it to her. Maybe it was time he taught her the difference between fiction…and reality.

Tightening his arms around her, he deepened the kiss, pulling her into him as he plundered her sweet mouth. Her head spinning, Kimberley laced her fingers through his own hair, her body leaning against his for support as she felt her knees grow weak. She didn't think she had ever been kissed more thoroughly or more passionately than the way Glen was kissing her now and she wasn't sure her body knew how to handle the incredible new sensations.

Reluctantly breaking the kiss so he could breathe, he pulled back for a moment and stared down into her face, searching for any sign that he may have carried things too far. Seeing nothing but desire clouding her features, he lowered his head and kissed her once more, this time being much more gentle in his actions. He nipped at her lower lip gently before pressing his lips against hers, his tongue slowly exploring the inner recesses of her mouth as he urged her to do the same.

As they lost themselves once more in the kiss, Glen slid his hands down the sides of her body, lingering on her hips for a moment before reaching around to cup her backside. In one swift movement, he lifted her from the floor and Kim instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist as he carried her toward the bed.

Turning around, he sat down on the edge of the bed, reaching behind him to unlock her ankles as he moved. Pulling her so she was straddling his body, he let her knees rest on either side of his legs as he slid his hands up to her back to help support her. Breaking the kiss, he moved his lips across her jaw and down her throat before finally moving upward her ear, nibbling on the soft lobe gently as his warm breath sent shivers of pleasure down her spine.

Kim clutched his shoulders tightly, unable to stop the soft whimpers of pleasure from escaping her as his warm lips brushed against her soft skin. Unaware that she was even moving, she was surprised when Glen caught her hips and stilled her as her lower body brushed against his, tormenting his already throbbing erection.

Still holding her in his arms, he stood up quickly, then turned them over so Kim was lying underneath him on the bed. Returning his attention to her neck and throat, his hands moved down her body until he reached the hem of her shirt, pulling himself from her long enough to pull the garment up and off of her before tossing into a pile on the floor. Reaching beneath her, he quickly unfastened her bra, letting it join her shirt on the floor as he hungrily eyed her full breasts.

Cupping them gently in his large hands, Glen moved his gaze back to her face, still searching for any sign that she didn't want things to continue at the current pace.

"Am I moving too fast ? Do you want me to stop?" he murmured softly in her ear, before brushing his lips against the sensitive spot beneath the lobe.

Alright, so maybe torturing one of her "sweet spots" while asking such an important question gave him an unfair advantage, but the way he saw it, he wanted to give her every opportunity to NOT resist his advances.

"Tell me." he whispered again, even as he continued his evil torture. "Tell me what you want. If you want me to stop, all you have to do is say the word. Is that what you want?"

"N…No. Please…don't….stop." Kim finally managed to reply in between breaths as he continued the torment on her helpless body. She'd dreamed of this for far too long to try and stop him now.

"Mmmm…..good. Because there's so much more I want to do to you first." he replied seductively, as he gently nuzzled her throat.

As he began to kiss a tortuously slow path down her chest, she grabbed frantically at his own shirt, trying her best to remove it from his body. Glen paused long enough to assist her in removing it, then lowered his head to quickly catch one of her pert nipples in his mouth as she wrapped her arms around him again. Kim whimpered and arched upward against him at the unexpected contact, her nails digging almost painfully into his back as she tried to hold him to his task.

Satisfying himself with the one, he released it in favor of the other nipple, sucking and teasing it in the same way he had done the first.

"Like that baby?" he asked softly, as he flicked at the stiff peak with the tip of his tongue.

"Do you want more?"

Kim gasped loudly beneath him, trying to find her voice to reply to him.

"Y..yes. I want…more."

Even as she thrashed about on the bed beneath him, his fingers continued to move further down her body to the waistband of her jeans, unfastening the button and the zipper one swift movement. Releasing his hold on her, he stood between her parted legs and leaned over the bed, quickly pulling her jeans, shoes and socks off before shedding the remainder of his own clothes.

Startled by the sudden loss of contact, Kim began to slowly regain her senses, the apprehension creeping into her mind when she realized what was about to happen. She was suddenly thankful that she had worn her new black lace underwear, the one luxury she had allowed herself to keep after her shopping spree a few weeks earlier. That was one less thing she had to be embarrassed about at the moment, although the fact that she was lying naked on the bed in front of him pretty much made up for any lack of embarrassment in other areas.

She unconsciously moved to try and cover herself with her hands, fearful that if he gazed upon her much longer she would turn him off completely. After working around those gorgeous divas all day long, she was sure she had very little that would impress a man like him. She couldn't imagine why he would possibly want to be with someone as simple as herself, but she wasn't about to interrupt him to ask him any questions, fearful that she might actually bring him to his senses. She knew she'd have all the time in the world to worry about it later. Right now, she just wanted to enjoy. Then she saw him remove his own clothes and the sight of his massive erection pulsing and throbbing in front of her was enough to make her forget all of her own insecurities. The man was certainly well-endowed, more so than she had ever dared let herself imagine. She found herself silently hoping that he knew how to properly use the thing. Otherwise their encounter might turn out to be a very painful experience.

Rejoining her on the bed, Glen moved his body over hers, being careful not to crush her underneath his full weight. Propping himself up on one elbow, he used his free hand to urge her thighs apart, easing himself between them as he settled into a comfortable position. Leaning down to kiss her once more, his hand gripped her upper thigh, his thumb stroking against the super-soft skin before moving upward toward her very drenched and swollen center. He dipped his fingers into her wetness, bringing them up to gently caress her clit before removing his hand altogether.

Pressing the tip of his swollen cock between her soft folds, he gripped her hips to hold her into place, as he pressed himself inside of her. Inch by excruciating inch, he slowly filled her with his massive length, the tightness of her body nearly destroying every ounce of his self-control.

Breathing deeply, he began to flex his hips, moving slowly at first to give her time to adjust to his large size. Kim moaned beneath him with every movement, her body desperately trying to adjust to the mixture of pain and pleasure that was slowly starting to drown her. But as his movements began to increase, the pain began to ebb and the pleasure quickly overtook her senses. Everything else long forgotten, all she could focus on was the sensation of his body pumping into hers, the feel of his lips and hands burning against her skin.

He was thrusting faster now, his moans increasing with every movement and Kim could feel herself spiraling farther and farther out of control. She felt him tighten his grip on her body, his deep voice rumbling soft words of encouragement in her ear, begging her to let herself go and give in to him completely.

"You're so beautiful baby…so hot. Cum for me baby….let me feel you. Show me how good I can make you feel."

Unable to hold back any longer, Kim gave in to his demands, wrapping her legs tight around his waist as he pushed her closer and closer to that wonderful abyss of pleasure that had evaded her for so long. This time she knew there was no going back, the force of his thrusts taking her to the edge and beyond, her body tightening, then shattering into a million pieces as the powerful release coursed through her.

Glen felt her body spasm around his own and he drove himself into her even harder, seeking the own release that his body so desperately needed. With one last powerful thrust, he buried himself to the hilt inside of her, emptying himself into her with a loud groan as the pleasure coursed through his veins.

Fighting the exhaustion that was seeping into his tired limbs, he kept himself propped up above her, still enjoying the feel of her body entwined with his as he watched her slowly come back to life. Moaning softly, Kim opened her eyes and met his gaze, watching as the corners of his mouth curved into a contented smile. Leaning down to give her one last kiss, he reluctantly pulled himself from her, then rolled to his side, reaching out to bring her with him. Settling her against him, he pulled the covers over them, then reached beside him to turn out the light before wrapping his arms around her again.

Even as he closed his eyes, Glen found his mind wandering back to the many questions that had plagued him over the course of the past few weeks, realizing that there were so many of them that had yet to be answered. As he cast a glance down at Kim who was now sleeping peacefully beside of him, one final thought began to work its way into his mind.

Had he managed to live up to her expectations? Or would she be disappointed by what had happened between them?

Either way, Glen knew that the transformation of fiction to reality was bound to bring about some major changes in their lives.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Kim awoke slowly the next morning, her eyes squinting as the sunlight poured in through the partially open curtains onto her face. She shifted slightly in the bed, her eyes focusing on the wall beside the window as she tried to work the sleep from her eyes. As her head began to clear, the memories from the night before came flooding back to her and her nervousness returned, not exactly sure what to expect from Glen this morning after their incredible night of passion.

She brought her hand to her head and raked her fingers through her hair, trying to smooth it down a bit so it wasn't quite so unruly, hoping that her appearance this morning wasn't too scary. Realizing she was still naked under the covers, Kim made sure she was carefully covered by the sheet, not feeling confident enough to let Glen see her naked in the middle of broad daylight. Taking a deep breath to calm the butterflies that had suddenly appeared in her stomach, she slowly rolled over, smiling when she pictured how he might look all curled up in her bed asleep. It was definitely an appealing image and one that she thought she would greatly enjoy waking up to every morning.

Glancing in his direction, her smile quickly faded when she saw that his side of the bed was empty. Sitting up, she looked around the room, tears forming in her eyes when she realized he was already gone.

"He left me." she murmured to herself, feeling her heart break at the sound of the words.

No note. No phone number. Nothing. He had simply used her, then tossed her to the side as if she were no more than a piece of garbage. How could he do that? Especially after what they had shared last night.

She knew she shouldn't have been surprised by the discovery. After all, wrestlers were well-known for their heavy partying and womanizing ways. Why should she have expected Glen to be any different? He was a very handsome man. He probably had a woman for every city he was in. She knew it was stupid of her to believe that he had wanted anything more than a one night stand with her. He had never promised her more than that. Hell, he hadn't promised her anything at all. Still, it had been a nice dream while it lasted….

Drawing her knees up to her chest, Kim wrapped her arms around them tightly as she tried to console herself.

_What did you expect Kim? Did you really think he was going to just waltz into your life and fall head over heels in love with you? You should know by now that things like that don't happen to you.,_ she thought to herself, wondering what she would have to do to finally find a bit of happiness in her life.

The click of the door lock jolted her from her thoughts and her gaze immediately fell on the door, her nerves on edge as she waited for it to open.

_He's back!, _she thought, as she waited anxiously for him to enter the room.

Then the door opened and Kim's heart sunk when she saw Michelle step into the room.

Her hopes dashed again for the second time that morning, Kim couldn't stop the tears of frustration, as she realized that Glen really was gone. Rushing to her side, Michelle tried her best to comfort her, rattling off one question after another in between the gentle words of encouragement she offered to her friend.

"Kim? What's wrong? Are you upset over what happened last night? Damn it, I knew I shouldn't have left you all alone like that. It was selfish of me Kim and I'm so sorry. Please don't cry. I promise I'll make it up to you somehow." Michelle said as she rubbed her friends back.

"I would have given anything if we could have found Glen last night. I know how much you wanted to meet him. I'm so sorry Kim. Believe me, if I had known where to find the man I would have gone to get him and brought him to you myself. Hell, I would've even wrapped him for you. Just imagine…a big red bow…and nothing else. Just think, if I could give you a present like that, you'd have to spend the rest of your life making it up to me." Michelle continued, hoping to try and get a smile out of her friend.

"Talk to me Kim. Please don't be mad at me." she added, when her plan didn't work. "You know I can't stand it when you're mad at me."

"I'm not mad at you." Kim finally managed to choke out between sobs, hating to see the worried look on Michelle's face.

"Don't lie to me Kim. I know you have to be upset over what happened last night."

"I'm not mad at you." Kim repeated, as she tried to find the words to tell Michelle want had happened.

"If you're not mad at me then what are you so upset about. Talk to me Kim. You're starting to worry me. Please tell me what's wrong."

Kim closed her eyes and took a deep breath, knowing that Michelle wasn't going to leave her alone until she got to the bottom of things. She knew she might as well get this over with.

"Last night…he was…here." she stated, fighting the urge to breakdown completely again.

"He? Who's he?" Michelle asked in confusion.

"Glen."

"Glen? GLEN! He was here?" Michelle stammered, her eyes growing wide with surprise. "How? What happened? And why the hell are you crying?"

"Kim?" she repeated, growing impatient when her friend didn't immediately respond. "What the hell happened here last night?"

Reluctantly, Kim began to talk again, telling Michelle everything that had happened the night before, up to the point where she had awakened that morning and discovered that he was gone.

By the time she was finished, Michelle was so dumbfounded she didn't know what to say. Her best friend had just experienced her biggest fantasy and her biggest letdown all in the span of twelve hours. She could only imagine how terrible Kim must have felt. While she knew her fling with Shane was no more than a one time thing, at least he had the balls to stick around for awhile that morning and talk to her before he had headed back out on the road. Apparently he was more of a man than Glen was.

"I'm so sorry honey. I wish I knew what to say to make you feel better. You want me to call Shane? He's got a match with Glen tonight. Maybe he could "accidentally" slip in a few punches for you or something." Michelle teased.

Kim smiled faintly and shook her head.

"It's okay Michelle. It's my fault. I should have known better than to get my hopes up. I'll just have to find a way to deal with it."

Michelle nodded her head as she gave Kim a hug.

"Well, how about we get ready and head for home? We'll deal with it together when we get back there. We'll spend the rest of the day curled up on your couch, eating ice cream and watching chic flicks and feeling sorry for ourselves for the lack of reliable men in our lives. How does that sound?"

"Sounds good." Kim replied with another smile, as she moved to climb out of the bed.

Even though she was grateful for her friend, Kim knew that Michelle couldn't even begin to heal the emptiness that had worked its way into her heart. This was something that she would have to work through herself if things were going to get any better. But based on the immense heartache that was suddenly weighing her down, she wasn't sure if things would ever be the same for her again.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Glen paced back and forth in his hotel room as he debated whether or not to go back and talk to Kim. He'd left her room in such a hurry earlier that morning that he hadn't even thought to leave her a note and he felt guilty for leaving her that way after what had happened between them. But he just didn't know what to do.

He had awakened that morning only to find Kim still snuggled close to him, so trusting as she slept peacefully in his arms. But as soon as he realized what he had done, he knew it had been wrong. He had gotten caught up in the fantasy of it all, once again letting his emotions overrule his better judgment.

He'd had absolutely no reason to do what he had done last night. But the thought of not living up to Kim's expectations had been too much for his large ego to handle and he had wound up using her, albeit unintentionally, for his own selfish purposes. Now that he had taken the time to think about things, he realized what a huge mistake he had made. Kim didn't really know him. It was true that she knew a lot about his past and his career. But she didn't really know HIM. She didn't really know the man behind the character. And last night, he had pushed his true nature aside, letting himself play the role of the charming seducer, pouring himself into the mold that she had formed, when in fact he wasn't really like that at all. He had deceived Kim. He had deceived himself. And the worst part of it all was that he didn't know how to go about making things right again.

He wanted desperately to go to her. He wanted to apologize to her for treating her so horribly. But the thought of seeing the disappointment in her eyes, knowing that he had shattered the perfect image she had of him, continued to hold him back. He just simply couldn't bear to face her again right now.

Glancing at the desk in the corner, he walked over to the large piece of furniture, taking a seat in the chair as he pulled out some paper and a pen. He stared at the blank page for several long moments, gathering his thoughts, before beginning to write. When he was done, he folded the paper and placed it in an empty envelope, making sure to seal it carefully before writing Kim's name on the outside. Then, gathering up all of his own belongings, he left his room and headed down the hallway toward Kim's room.

Pausing outside her door, he raised his hand to knock before he caught himself and pulled it away. Bending down, he quietly slipped the envelope under the door. Hesitating for a moment, he silently cursed himself again, then headed toward the elevators.

Reaching the lobby, he was thankful that it was nearly deserted and he quickly checked out, continuously looking over his shoulder for any sign of Kim. Once he was outside of the building, he slipped in behind the wheel of his rental car, glancing up at the hotel one last time before he pulled away. As he drove out of sight, his last thought was that he hoped Kim would find it in her heart to forgive him for what he had done to her.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"You all set?" Michelle asked, climbing in behind the wheel of her car as Kim joined her in the passenger seat.

"Yeah. Let's hit the road. I'm ready to go home." she replied, making sure to fasten her seatbelt securely.

Glancing at the hotel one last time, she sighed softly, fighting back the tears that were threatening to fall again.

"Goodbye Glen." she murmured softly, watching as the large building faded from her view.

The sound of Michelle's favorite CD blaring through the speakers pulled her from her thoughts, and she settled back into her seat and closed her eyes, knowing that it was going to be a very long drive home.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Entering the empty hotel room, the housekeeper pulled her supply cart inside before turning and closing the door behind her. Seeing something out of the corner of her eye, she glanced down and spotted the white envelope that was lying on the floor behind the door. Picking it up, she eyed it curiously for a moment before she opened it and examined the contents.

_Dear Kim,_

_I know you must be disappointed in me after what happened last night, but please believe me when I say that I never meant to hurt you. Although I have to admit that last night was wonderful, it was a huge mistake on my part. I used you for my own selfish purposes and for that I am truly sorry. I hope you will find it in your heart to forgive me some day. While I am sure that your thoughts of me have now changed considerably, I do hope that you will continue to work on your story, as well as may more in the future, whether they are about me or someone else. I meant it when I said you have some incredible talent and I hope that you will not let one bad experience ruin the joy that you seem to find in your writing. Again, I am sorry for the way things turned out but know that I wish you well and I will think of you often. _

_Glen_

Chucking softly, the housekeeper stuffed the letter back into the envelope before tossing it into the trashcan.

"The things people leave behind…."


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Kim stretched lazily on the couch, her gaze traveling to the window as she watched the rain fall outside. It had been raining for four days straight now, the dreary weather matching her own cloudy mood. She felt so tired, so lonely, so completely drained of all her energy, it was all she could do to pull herself off of the couch long enough to shower and go to work. She didn't know when she had ever felt so exhausted.

Of course, lack of sleep would do that to anybody. Ever since her encounter with Glen, her dreams had been filled with images of him, teasing her, taunting her, reminding her of the one thing she wanted more than life itself. The one thing she could never have. She wondered why life was so consistently cruel to her. Was one little piece of happiness too much to ask for? Apparently, for her, it was.

Turning her attention back to the television screen, she flipped through the channels, finally settling on some old cheesy comedy to help keep her mind occupied with something other than Glen. Unfortunately, entertaining was not one of the movie's best qualities, so at some point, not long after the opening credits, she closed her eyes and began to doze.

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

Sometime later, the sound of a doorbell woke her from her nap and she opened her eyes and glanced at the television screen, fumbling for the remote as she tried to turn down the volume. Hitting the mute button, she was surprised to hear the sound of the doorbell again and she glanced down at the remote in confusion for a brief moment before she finally realized that the sound was coming from her own door.

Sitting up, she rubbed her eyes and yawned before she staggered over to the door and unlocked it. Opening the door, she stared in shock at the sight that awaited her on the other side.

"Glen? What are you doing here?" she murmured softly, briefly wondering if her eyes were playing tricks on her.

He smiled down at her.

"It's me baby. Mind if I come in for a minute?" he asked, motioning toward the inside of her apartment.

Hesitating only briefly, Kim slowly moved to the side to let him pass by her, her mind whirling with a million questions of why he was there.

Surprisingly, she felt more anger than anything, fuming at the fact that he would dare to just show up uninvited at her apartment as though nothing bad had ever happened. But she held her tongue, determined to at least hear what he had to say before she went off on him.

Following him over to the couch, she motioned for him to take a seat, as she gathered up her blanket and wrapped it around her before sitting beside of him.

"What are you doing here? How did you find me?" she finally offered, when he didn't speak, her curiosity finally getting the better of her.

"I needed to see you again." Glen replied softly as he turned to look at her. "I know we didn't part on the best of terms but… well, lets just say that I'm sorry for what happened. No, not for what happened…for the way it happened. I know that you probably think pretty poorly of me now, after the way I treated you, but I've had a lot of time to think about things since then and I don't regret what happened between us that night. I hope you don't regret it either. I just wanted to find you and talk to you again. I wanted to make things right between us. I haven't been able to stop thinking about you since that night. I wanted to see you again."

Kim stared at Glen, completely stunned by his revelations, the anger that she had suddenly felt toward him quickly fading into the background. She couldn't believe that he had actually tracked her down just to talk to her.

"Once I decided to start looking for you, finding you was easy. You have some pretty talkative friends." he added with a sly grin.

"Michelle told you where to find me?" Kim finally asked, surprised that her friend had managed to keep it a secret from her.

"All I had to do was track down Shane. He got ahold of Michelle and got the information I needed. And…here I am."

Kim smiled faintly, her eyes dropping to her lap to avoid his gaze. He scooted closer to her on the couch, reaching out to hook a finger under her chin as he tilted her face up to look at him.

"I'm sorry baby. I know I hurt you but I promise if you'll just give me another chance, I'll never do anything to hurt you again."

Kim stared into his eyes and, seeing the remorsefulness there, knew he was telling her the truth.

"Will you forgive me baby?" he asked as he searched her eyes for an answer. "Will you give me another chance?"

In response to his question, she slowly reached out and cupped his check, letting her hand slide further back to entangle in his hair as she pulled him down into a passionate kiss. He immediately captured her face in his hands, angling her head to let him deepen the kiss while pulling her closer to him.

Minutes later, Glen reluctantly pulled back, giving them both room to breathe.

"I guess that was a yes." he murmured softly as he smiled down at her.

"Yes." was all Kim replied, before she tugged his head down for another kiss.

Leaning back, she slowly lowered herself onto the cushions, Glen's big body coming down on top of hers as their kiss began to gain momentum. It didn't take long before their hands started to wander. Across his back. Down her hips. Under their clothes. They moved everywhere at once, exploring each other. Enjoying each other. Letting their passion take over once again.

"Are you sure you want this baby? I don't want to push you." he whispered softly, pulling back to stare down into her face, smoothing her hair back out of her eyes as he searched for any sign of regret.

"Yes. I want this. I want you." she replied, wrapping her arms around his neck as she tried to pull him down into yet another kiss. "Please Glen. It's been so long."

Taking that as his cue to continue, he kissed her again fiercely, their bodies molding together as they pleasured each other over and over again. Their moans and groans filled the otherwise quiet room and Kim gave herself over completely to the moment, all rational thought gone from her mind, until a faint noise in the background worked its way through her clouded brain and distracted her from her lustful behavior.

With a jerk, she bolted upright on the couch, glancing frantically around the room as the sound continued. Realizing it was the phone, she glared at it for a long moment before the ringing finally stopped and the room was quiet again.

Glancing around the room, she felt her heart sink even lower when she realized she was alone. Glen wasn't there. It had all been a dream.

Gazing over at the television which was still playing softly in the background, she turned it off, then threw the remote across the room in anger, before curling up into a ball on the couch. The pain and the anger were almost too much for her to bear. She missed Glen. Her heart ached for him terribly. And there wasn't a damn thing she could do to make it go away.

Deep down, she knew that she had no right to be angry or upset. Glen hadn't lied to her. He hadn't made her a bunch of empty promises that he knew he couldn't keep. All he had given her was one night of incredible pleasure. No strings attached.

She knew she should be grateful for that one night. After all, she had experienced what so many others had only dreamed about. But much to her dismay, Kim realized that it wasn't enough for her. Instead of satisfying her fantasies, her encounter with Glen had only strengthened her desire for him.

One night with him would never be enough.

Not with him.

Not for her.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Glen sat alone in his darkened hotel room, staring in disappointment at the screen of his laptop. It had been weeks since his encounter with Kim, but since that time there had been absolutely no sign of her on Sinful Nature. No additions to her story. No responses to anyone else's work. Nothing. It was as though she had simply dropped off the face of the earth.

He grunted with disgust. At the moment, he felt lower than he had ever felt in his entire life. He knew that he was the reason for her sudden disappearance. Although he had known, when he'd crept silently from her room the morning after, it would hurt her, he was only now starting to realize just how much damage he had possibly done.

Because of him, she had stopped writing.

Because of him, she had lost the joy she had once found in her work.

Because of him, she had apparently given up on her dreams.

Staring at the screen again, Glen tried to tell himself that it didn't matter. He tried to convince himself that it was not his fault. That it was not his concern if she allowed herself to be affected by him the way she had. After all, he barely knew her. And he'd certainly made her no promises.

But no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't make himself buy into that line of reasoning. It WAS his fault. There was no way he could deny it. He was the one who had crossed the line. He was the one who had given in. And she was the one who was now paying the price for his actions.

With a deep sigh, he turned back to the computer screen, randomly clicking on a few of the story links, as he recalled the events of that night, wondering why he had to be blessed with such a guilty conscience. The other guys didn't seem to have any problem using women for their own selfish pleasure. They could take whatever they wanted and then just walk away, without ever looking back. So, why couldn't he do the same? Why did he have to be the one to care?

Chuckling softly, Glen realized it just wasn't in his personality to be uncaring. He couldn't just forget about someone he had been so intimate with, especially when that person thought so highly of him. Not that he hadn't tried, of course. After disappearing from her hotel room that morning, he had vowed to himself that he would come home and forget all about her. But he had failed miserably at keeping that promise, making it only three days before he had finally broken down and logged back onto the site again, curious to see what she would do with her story after their encounter. And ever since that first moment of weakness, he had routinely checked the site several times a day, hoping for any kind of sign that would indicate that she was alright.

At first, he hadn't been too surprised to see that she wasn't hanging around the board as much as before. But now, weeks later, he was starting to get concerned. He knew how much the site meant to her and he knew that it wasn't like her to stay away for so long. Feeling another surge of guilt welling up inside of him, he wondered if there was anything he could do to find out whether or not she was okay.

As the thought crossed his mind, he studied the main page of the site again, taking note of the link that allowed him to add a post to the board, smiling when a plan began to work its way into his mind. He struggled to remember the conversation he'd had with Kim that night, trying to recall just how many details that he had revealed to her regarding her stories. Although he'd praised her work, he couldn't recall actually telling her that he was the one who'd been leaving all of the numerous reviews. Unless she was able to put the pieces together on her own (and considering the circumstances, she'd been just as distracted as he'd been) he didn't think she would be able to put the pieces together. At least he hoped she wouldn't. So perhaps if he anonymously requested more of the story, he could finally encourage her to start writing again.

With the sudden new prospect of being able to communicate with her, he typed a quick paragraph, then signed it with his alias before uploading it to the site. Now all he had to do was sit back and she if she would take the bait, hopefully allowing himself to find a way to reverse some of the harm that he had done.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Kim frowned as she gazed over the pile of cds and papers in front of her, which represented months and month's worth of her writing accomplishments. In a fit of anger, she had emptied out her desk drawers, gathering all of her work into one large pile that had been intended for the trash can. But now that she actually had everything in front of her, she just couldn't make herself go through with it. She had enjoyed writing them too much to allow herself to destroy them.

With one broad swipe of her arm, she cleared off the desk top, brushing everything into a large open drawer. Slamming it shut, she turned toward her computer screen again and, out of pure habit, opened up Sinful Nature. As soon as the main page popped up, Kim felt her heart constrict, knowing that this site was the main reason for all of her pain. It was here that Glen had found her. It was here that she had unknowingly bared her heart and soul to the man, only to have him use that knowledge against her. He had taken advantage of her feelings for him and used them for his own selfish purposes, destroying all of her hopes and dreams in the process.

Feeling the tears threatening to drown her again, Kim started to leave the site when one of the new posts on the board caught her attention. Noticing that it was addressed directly to her, she stared at it in confusion for a moment before she clicked on the link and brought up the message.

_Kim_

_I haven't seen you around on the board for a while. I hope you are doing fine. I am anxiously waiting for more chapters of your story and I hope you will update as soon as you can. You really are a tremendous writer and I can't wait to see what you have in store for us next._

_A Fan_

After reading the message, Kim's first instinct was to respond to the author and inform them that she was ending the story. She couldn't bring herself to do it anymore. It just hurt too much.

But after mulling it over for several long moments, she decided against doing anything rash. Maybe with a little bit of time, the pain would ease and she could bring herself to write again. Maybe with a little bit of time, she could replace the anger with the admiration and respect that had once taken its place. Maybe with a little bit of time, she would allow herself to forgive.

But for now, her Fan would just have to wait.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Sitting in front of her computer, Kim lazily browsed through a few of her favorite websites, trying her best to fight the urge to visit Sinful Nature to see what was going on. She tried to avoid the site as much as she possibly could, but every few days she would finally break down and sneak in a short visit, just to see what she was missing.

Of course, whenever she did visit, it was only to read. She hadn't posted anything herself in weeks. For her, writing had become a thing of the past. She couldn't bring herself to do it anymore. It just hurt too much for her to fantasize about what might have been.

But even as her heart ached, she couldn't stop herself from searching through her list of favorites and clicking on the link to the site. She sat quietly as the main page opened, staring blankly at the monitor as the painful memories came flooding back to her. After several long moments, she finally forced herself to continue scrolling through the list of updates, frowning when she saw another message addressed to her.

Clicking on the link, she didn't have to read it to know who it was from. Her Fan. Whoever the hell that was.

This person had been leaving her messages for weeks now, begging her to continue with her story. So far, she had ignored their requests, hoping that they would finally give up and leave her alone. But as the weeks passed and they continued to be more and more persistent, it was becoming obvious to her that they just weren't taking the hint.

Reading through the message quickly, she skimmed over the words that she had read so many times before. Please write more soon. Love your work. Hope you are well. Blah, blah, blah.

Shaking her head, Kim chuckled sarcastically. There had been a time, not too long ago, when she would have been thrilled to receive such a pleasant response to one of her stories. But now? Now it didn't even matter to her anymore. What was the point? It just seemed so ridiculous. She'd wasted so much time, so much of her life, sitting in front of this same stupid computer, wishing for things that could never be. And what had it gotten her? Absolutely nothing. Except a broken heart.

Well, she'd be damned if she'd let it happen anymore. It was time for her to move on. Life was too short to be wasted and as far as she was concerned, she had a lot of lost time she needed to make up for.

Gazing back at the message that was displayed on the screen, she smiled to herself, satisfied with her decision. All she had to do now was break the news to her Fan.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Pulling his laptop from its case, Glen frowned as he placed it on the table and opened it up. Turning it on, he tapped his fingers impatiently against the wooden surface, anxious to pull up the Sinful Nature site to see if Kim had finally posted anything there.

Much to his dismay, she still had not made an appearance of any kind on the website, even though he had left her numerous messages begging her to continue with her story. But so far, his pleas had apparently fallen on deaf ears. There had been no sign of her at all, not even a reply to his posts. He wondered if she was even reading them at all or if she suspected that they were from him and was just avoiding them altogether.

Either way, his desperation was reaching unbearable levels. He needed to hear from her soon. He needed to know that she was okay. Otherwise, the strained silence was going to drive him absolutely insane.

Although he couldn't explain the reasons, Glen hadn't been able to shake the images of her that had been filling his mind ever since their night together. His every waking thought was of her. Where she was. What she was doing. Who she was with. He often found himself wondering if she ever thought about him. If she missed him. If she still wanted him again after everything he had done. Or had his foolish actions, his one moment of weakness, washed away all thoughts of him from her mind?

Resting his chin in his hand, he waited for the website to load, already bracing himself for the disappointment that he would surely find there. But instead, he found himself pleasantly surprised when his gaze fell on the long-awaited response to his numerous requests.

Blinking, he stared at the words on the screen for several moments, sure that it was just his eyes playing tricks on him. Then, hesitantly, he clicked on the link, holding his breath as he waited to see what she had written to him.

_I'm sorry that it has taken me so long to reply to your posts, but I have had other things that I have had to deal with over these past few weeks. While I appreciate your kind words and thoughtfulness, I am sorry to inform you that I will not be finishing my story. Due to recent circumstances, I have decided to make several changes in my life, one of which is that I will no longer be writing and posting stories here. I apologize for leaving you hanging in the middle of my last work, but at this time I no longer have the need or desire to finish it. Again, I am sorry to disappoint you, but I hope that you will understand._

_Thanks again_

_Kimberley_

Letting out a long, deep sigh, Glen buried his face in his hands, rubbing his aching forehead as he tried to absorb the words he had just read.

"Damn it!" he yelled, slamming his fist onto the table, leaving a large dent in the center of the hard surface.

"I don't believe this!" he murmured to himself, as he reread her message over and over again.

The earlier guilt that he had managed to assuage somewhat, was back with a vengeance now, the pain that he had caused her so obvious in her words.

"No. Absolutely not!" he finally growled, shaking his head as he stared at the screen. "I'm not going to let you do this Kim. No way."

Cursing himself for his selfish behavior, Glen frantically racked his brain for something to say as his fingers began to type. He wasn't going to let her just walk away without a fight. No matter what he had to do, he had to find someway to make her change her mind.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

An hour after she'd left her post on the board, Kim was stretched out on her couch, relaxing as she watched one of her favorite movies. Interrupted by the ringing of the phone, she hit the pause button on the remote as she casually reached over and answered it.

"What the hell do you think you're doing woman! Have you absolutely lost your mind?" the voice on the other end yelled, without even giving her a chance to speak.

Kim winced as she jerked the phone away from her ear, still able to clearly hear the person who was shouting on the other end. Closing her eyes, she quietly listened to her tirade, waiting for a break in the noise before she even attempted to reply.

"Are you finished yet?" she finally asked, jerking the phone away from her ear again as more shouting ensued.

"If you'll be quiet for two seconds, I'll explain what's going on." Kim replied when there was another lull in the shrieking.

"Well then, start talking and it better be a damn good explanation!" the voice on the other end demanded.

"Michelle, you know what I've been through these past few weeks. You know how tough things have been on me." Kim replied. "Did you actually think I could just go back to my writing and pretend like nothing ever happened?"

"Damn it Kim! You can't let him do this to you! I know how much you enjoy your writing. I know how much it means to you. And I can't believe for one minute that you're actually going to quit over that stupid son of a bitch…"

"Oh, so I'm supposed to just keep on writing, keep on telling everybody how wonderful he is, how sweet, how unbelievably charming he is, when I know better! When I know it's not true! I can't lie like that Michelle. I won't do it."

"Kim, I'm telling you right now. You're making a huge mistake…"

"Am I? Are you forgetting the fact that HE has actually been reading the things that I posted on the board? He took advantage of me Michelle. He knew exactly how I felt about him and he used me. I won't let him do it again. I'm not going to waste my time and energy writing some lame story so that he can have a good laugh at my expense. I won't do it Michelle. I'm not going to make a fool of myself again."

"Okay, so the man of your dreams turned out to be a total ass. That doesn't mean you have to give up writing completely. Hell, there are all kinds of gorgeous guys out there. Pick another one to write about."

"No, I don't think so. I learned my lesson the first time. It's not worth it. I don't need all of the pain and the heartache. You've been telling me for months now to get out and find myself a man. Well, that's exactly what I intend to do. Find myself a man. A REAL man who actually cares about me. And I very well can't do that if I'm sitting here on my ass in front of this stupid computer all the time. It's time for me to move on. I have to do this Michelle. It's the only way I can keep my sanity."

Sighing deeply, Michelle was silent for a long time.

"God girl. I can't believe you're doing this." she finally replied, although she was starting to see things from her friend's point of view. "You know Sinful Nature won't be the same without you. What am I supposed to do without you hanging around all the time?"

"Oh, I'll still stop in every now and then, just to see what's going on. Besides, it's not like I'm leaving YOU. We can still hang out together as much as you want. I just won't be around the site as much as before, that's all."

"Well, maybe that won't be so bad." Michelle replied, after she'd contemplated things for a few moments. "Maybe now I can finally drag you out of the house on occasion. Take you bar hopping with me or something…"

Kim giggled softly.

"Just tell me when and where. I'll be there."

"I'll hold you to that." Michelle replied. "Damn woman. I hope you know what you're doing."

"Don't worry Michelle. I'll be fine. I promise. Things will work out for the best. You'll see."

"I hope so. After everything you've been through, you certainly deserve it."

Nodding her head in agreement, Kim smiled, a renewed sense of hope working its way into her heart. She would be fine. Of that much she was sure. She'd be damned if she'd give Glen the satisfaction of being anything less.


	15. Chapter 15

**Thanks to everyone for the reviews and alerts! I appreciate them so much! :)**

**Chapter 15**

Pacing the floor of his hotel room, Glen paused to glance back down at his laptop, which was still open on the table. Clenching his fists, he resumed his pacing, murmuring to himself as he frantically tried to think of some way to reach out to Kim. He had to find some way to change her mind. He wasn't about to let her abandon her writing over him.

Dropping back down into the chair, he gazed at the computer screen, his fingers lightly skimming across the keyboard. He'd already typed up several responses to the post she had left for him, although thankfully he'd caught himself before he'd sent any of them to her. Coming off as some kind of angry jerk wouldn't do much to help the situation at the moment.

After he'd forced himself to calm down, he realized that he was going to have to take a much more subtle approach if he wanted to get through to her. He needed to find some way to get her to open up to him. To talk to him. He needed to know what was going on in that pretty head of hers. And that certainly wouldn't happen if he managed to alienate her more than he already had.

Of course, it wouldn't help if she knew who he really was either. He was pretty sure he would be the last person she would want to talk to at the moment. But if he could keep his identity a secret, if he could pretend like he was somebody else, then he thought he might be able to pull it off.

Turning his attention back to the computer screen, he thought long and hard about what he could say to her that would capture her attention and make her want to confide in him. Realizing that he would have to take things slow if he didn't want to arouse her suspicions, he composed a short message, using every ounce of sympathy and compassion he could muster. Typing it into the empty box on the screen, he silently prayed that all of his efforts wouldn't be in vain.

_Kimberley_

_I am sorry that you feel the need to discontinue your writing. I am extremely disappointed that you will not be finishing your story, although you must have a good reason for not doing so. I hope that things are well with you. From the sound of your words, it seems as though you are going through a rough time right now. I just wanted you to know that I am thinking about you and if you need anything or if you would just like to chat, feel free to email me any time. Having been through a few rough patches myself lately, I find it very easy to sympathize with you. Sometimes it helps to talk with someone who's been there. If I can do anything to help you, please let me know. _

_A Fan_

Okay, so it was a little bit deceptive. And more than a little cheesy. But if it worked? Well, that was all that mattered.

Sending her the message, Glen reclined back in his chair and frowned. This would be the hard part. The waiting. He already knew it would drive him insane. But he had no choice. Things were now out of his control. If anything was going to happen, then it was up to Kim to make the next move.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Giggling uncontrollably, Kim stumbled in through her door, fumbling for the light switch on the wall before making her way through her apartment toward her bedroom. Steadying herself on the door frame, she slung her coat and purse across the room, slipping off her shoes before finally collapsing onto her bed. The room spinning before her warned her that she had definitely consumed too much alcohol, but at the moment, she didn't care. She'd had too much fun tonight to be concerned.

True to her word, Michelle had taken her out to a bar, treating her to a long-awaited and well-deserved girls' night out. And for the first time in a long while, Kim had finally let down her hair, determined to make herself have a good time. And what a good time it had been. Until tonight, she hadn't realized how much she had missed just hanging out with her friends. Downing a few drinks. Dancing with a few guys. Forgetting about all of her troubles. It had been way too long since she had treated herself to such an adventure and she was certainly looking forward to doing it again.

Pulling herself from the bed, she staggered to the bathroom, slipping on her pjs and splashing some cold water on her face before heading back into her room. Passing the desk in the corner, she paused as she glanced down at her computer. With a shrug of her shoulders, she plopped down in her chair and flipped it on. It had been a few days since the last time she was online. She figured it wouldn't hurt to check a few things out and see what she'd been missing.

Checking her email first thing, she responded to a few of her messages, before bringing up her favorites list and browsing through a few of the sites. It didn't take long before the mixture of alcohol and fatigue caught up with her, and she stretched and yawned in exhaustion as she clicked on the link to Sinful Nature, wanting to check out the recent updates before she headed to bed.

Skimming through the new posts, she caught herself up on all the recent stories, leaving a quick response to Michelle's latest chapter before she got ready to turn in for the night. But as she prepared to turn off her computer, she caught sight of the latest message from her Fan, shaking her head at the person's apparent lack of understanding of the English language. Just what the hell did they think 'No' really meant?

"Don't these people ever give up?" she murmured to herself as she selected the link, wondering what she was going to have to do to finally get through to them.

Opening the message, she read through it quickly, then paused before reading it again. Wincing as she rubbed her aching forehead, she tried to make sense of the words on her screen.

She didn't know this person at all. She didn't have any idea who they were or where they were from. So why the hell would they even think she would consider talking to them about her problems?

Shaking her head, she quickly turned off her computer and headed toward her bed. It was more than she wanted to think about at the moment. Too much alcohol. Too much excitement. She suddenly felt very sick and very tired. She didn't have time to worry about her concerned Fan at the moment. Right now all she wanted to do was sleep.

Climbing into the bed, she settled down into the cold sheets, images of Glen filling her mind the moment she closed her eyes. Remembering their single night of passion, she wished he was still there to hold her. To help keep her safe and warm. She knew she would feel so much better, if only she could be in his arms again.

"Oh stop it! That's never going to happen!" she muttered to herself, grabbing the spare pillow and pulling it over her head in a vain attempt to keep the memories out.

"It's over Kim. Just let it go. You'll never hear from that man again as long as you live."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The following morning, Kimberley was up early, feeling tired and very, very sick from her wild evening of partying. Stumbling toward the bathroom, she retrieved a small cup of water and downed a couple of aspirin before heading back into the bedroom. Glancing toward the computer as a wave of nausea hit her, she plopped down into the chair and typed Michelle a quick message.

_DON'T EVER LET ME DO THAT AGAIN! ME & ALCOHOL JUST DON'T MIX! :-(_

_Kim_

As she waited for her message to be delivered, she studied her computer screen, realizing that the Sinful Nature page was still open from the night before. Clicking on the button, she brought up the page, rereading the message that her Fan had sent her.

Frowning, she shook her head as she once again tried to figure out their offer. Why would a complete stranger be so interested in her problems? Why would they be so eager to help her? It just didn't make any sense.

Feeling the throbbing in her head increase, she quickly turned off the computer and headed back to bed. It hurt too bad to think right now. Maybe later things would make more sense.

Snuggling under the covers, she closed her eyes, images of Glen once again filling her head. Sighing in defeat, she realized that her plan simply wasn't working. She felt worse now than she ever had, and it had absolutely nothing to do with the alcohol she'd consumed the night before. The truth was, she still missed him terribly. And as far as her plan went, well even she had to admit, it certainly wasn't much of one. Glen wasn't the kind of man a girl could forget about very easily.

Of course, it wasn't because she hadn't tried. In fact, during the day, while she was surrounded by her co-workers and friends, thoughts of him rarely surfaced in her mind. She had her life to distract her from the painful memories. But the night was not always so kind. Once she was tucked away in her room, curled up alone in her cold, empty bed, that was when the thoughts returned. He was the main attraction in her dreams. All night. Every night. Always there to taunt her and tease her, reminding her of what she'd almost had. Never allowing her to find the peace she so desperately needed.

Sighing, Kim thought back to the message her Fan had left for her. Hadn't they said they'd been through some rough times lately too? She wondered if perhaps they had experienced similar heartache. If so, maybe they could offer her some pointers on how to get over Glen and move on with her life. Suddenly the idea of talking with a total stranger didn't seem so bad after all. At the moment, she was willing to try anything as long as it helped to ease the pain in her heart.

Rolling over, she pulled the covers tight over her head, trying to block out the cheerful sunlight that was spilling into the room through the window. Sighing again as she settled into a more comfortable position, she thought she would definitely have to give some serious consideration to talking with her Fan. Maybe it would be just what she needed to help solve all of her problems.


	16. Chapter 16

**Ok, these next couple of chapters are a little shorter, so I'm posting two of them for you. And they are probably a little slow, but I promise things are about to get interesting! :P**

**Chapter 16**

As the days passed, Glen grew more and more impatient as he hoped and prayed that Kim would respond to his message. Waiting had never been one of his favorite pastimes. So many times, he'd found himself in front of his computer again, typing up another message for her, urging her to talk with him. But he always managed to stop himself before he posted anything, reminding himself not to be too overbearing, lest he arouse her suspicions and push her away completely. If this was going to work, he had to let her come to him. He had to. And if she didn't? Well, that was something he really didn't want to think about at the moment.

As he sat alone in his darkened room, gazing at the familiar screen that had become his constant companion, he wondered when his life had managed to change so much. When had the roles been reversed?

He'd dealt with his fair share of obsessed fans during his career, but he never thought that he would ever become one. He understood now what it felt like to be on the other side. He understood now all of the need, all of the desire, all of the emotion that so many of his fans had often displayed toward him. He understood now how easily things could get out of control. He was beginning to feel like his own mind was bordering on the edge of insanity, his own need reaching dangerously obsessive levels. How one small woman, one brief encounter, could have so much impact on his rationality he didn't know, but somehow, someway, she had managed to leave a lasting impression on him.

Oftentimes, he would find himself thinking about her, wondering if she was safe. If she was happy. If she missed him. He wondered if she had moved on with her life. If she'd found someone. If there was someone else out there that she wanted to give herself to. He found himself growing jealous at the thought, his heart constricting in a most confusing and painful way. No other man had the right to touch her. He was the one she wanted. He was the one she should be with. But he had realized that too late and now all he was left with were the images of what might have been.

If only he could go back and do things over again. Find someway to make things right. If only he could find some way to make her forgive him, he vowed that he would never do anything to hurt her again.

**XXXXXXX**

Kim stretched and yawned as she sat up in her bed, rubbing her eyes as she tried to pull herself together after yet another sleepless night. Things had steadily gotten worse for her, the dreams intensifying and becoming even more frequent. She hadn't had a peaceful night's sleep in ages and her body was starting to feel the results. If she didn't get some rest soon, she knew it wouldn't be long before she collapsed from the exhaustion.

Staggering to the bathroom, she quickly turned on the shower and stepped under the hot spray, washing her face rapidly as she tried to work the sleep from her eyes. If nothing else, she was at least thankful that it was Saturday. There was no way she would have been able to make it through eight hours of work on what little sleep she'd gotten last night.

Washing off quickly, Kim got out of the shower and dried herself, brushing out her hair before slipping into a pair of old sweatpants and one of her oversized Kane t-shirts. Catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror, she frowned when she saw the front of her shirt. Why the hell had she put that on?

_Because you're weak and pathetic_, she told herself, as she gazed down at the picture of the masked man on the front.

Disgusted with herself, she headed back into the bedroom and plopped down in front of her computer. Enough was enough. She couldn't take anymore. She had to do something to get Glen out of her heart and out of her mind, before she drove herself absolutely insane.

Heading to Sinful Nature, she searched for the last post from her Fan, clicking on the link and rereading the message before hitting the reply button. Typing a short response, she left her email address and asked her Fan to contact her.

Kim knew that it was probably a long shot, but right now she was desperate to try anything. She thought that if she talked to someone who didn't know the details of her situation, someone who had possibly had a similar experience, maybe they would be able to help her. At least, she hoped they could. If not, she didn't know what she was going to do.

**XXXXXXXX**

Unlocking the door to his hotel room, Glen entered the darkened room and flipped on the light, closing the door behind him as he dropped his bags to the floor. He had just experienced the road trip from hell, traveling over 250 miles with three of the other guys, in a car that seemed barely big enough for two. The drive itself had been long enough to begin with, but after they'd gotten stuck going through two roadside checkpoints and made several wrong turns, he didn't think there was anyway they would ever make it to the hotel before daylight. Glancing at his watch, he realized that he hadn't been far off.

Groaning as he slipped off his shoes, he rummaged around in his bags until he found his laptop, quickly removing it from its case and opening it up on the table.

Even though it was late and he was completely exhausted, he wanted to check out Sinful Nature before he turned in for the night. He'd been so busy all day that he hadn't had a chance to log on since early that morning and he was curious to see if Kim had possibly left a response for him.

Although he knew the chances of it were slim, he opened up the site anyway, which he had long ago made his home page, and waited for it to load. Scrolling down the screen, he froze when he saw that he had one new message.

Hesitantly clicking on the heading, he held his breath as the page opened, praying that it wasn't another rejection from her. Reading through her short reply, he could barely contain his excitement when he realized that she wanted him to contact her. His heart hammering in his chest, he smiled at the sight of her email address posted at the bottom of the page, thankful that he now had another opportunity to reach out to her. He could barely believe it. She was willing to talk to him!

_Only because she doesn't know its you_, he warned himself, knowing that if she found out, she would never forgive him for his deception.

Taking a deep sigh of relief, Glen turned off his computer and headed toward the bed, stripping off his clothes before sliding in between the cool sheets. Now that he had her attention, he just needed to figure out what he was going to say to her.

Stretching out in the small bed, he clasped his hands behind his head and stared up at the ceiling, smiling again as he wondered where she was and what she was doing.

"You won't regret this." he murmured out loud, closing his eyes as images of them together filled his mind. "I'll do whatever I have to do to make things up to you."

Rolling to his side, he found himself clutching the spare pillow against his chest, wishing that it was Kim who was there beside of him.

"Maybe…just maybe…." he whispered, wondering if he would ever have that kind of opportunity with her again.

He knew it would be asking a lot from her considering the hurt he had caused her, but he couldn't let himself lose hope just yet. After all, she had just given him a second chance. That was certainly a good starting point for him to work with. All he had to do now was use the opportunity to his full advantage, making sure to find someway to work himself back into her heart.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

Watching herself in the bathroom mirror, Kim brushed out her hair and pulled it back into a ponytail, humming to herself as she worked. Finishing up her task, she left the small room and headed back into her bedroom, slipping into her pajamas before heading toward her computer, taking a seat as she turned it on. She was back to her nightly ritual again, occupying her lonely nights with the companionship of the fluorescent screen, only this time, she wasn't writing a bunch of worthless stories. This time, she had much more enjoyable things to do.

Still humming a light-hearted tune, she logged into her messenger account, glancing at the clock briefly before checking her email. She still had a few more minutes until it was time, so she thought she might as well do something useful while she waited.

Reading through her messages, she typed a quick reply to the one that Michelle had sent her before turning her attention to Sinful Nature. Scanning through all of the new posts, she temporarily forgot about everything else, until a soft chime startled her from her thoughts.

"Right on time." she murmured to herself as she glanced at the clock, smiling when the first message popped up on her screen.

It was from her Fan, of course. They'd been conversing back and forth for a few weeks now and after the first couple of email messages they'd sent to each other, they'd decided to sign up for their own instant messenger accounts, making it much easier for them to carry on their near nightly conversations.

After their first few discussions, Kim had discovered that the two of them actually had several things in common, the main one being that they had both been hurt by someone they cared very deeply about. She felt like she had truly found someone she could confide in, someone she could reveal her deepest, darkest secrets to, without fear of being judged or ridiculed, because her Fan had experienced it all before. She was no longer facing her ordeal alone. She had found someone else who knew firsthand about the pain that she was going through.

Sending a reply back to her Fan, she waited patiently for another message, her mind drifting back to everything she had recently discovered about her new-found confidant. During their initial conversations, she had been very surprised to discover that her Fan was actually of the male variety. She had always assumed that women were the only ones who enjoyed reading fan fiction, but that obviously wasn't the case. That surprising discovery had almost been enough to put a halt to their discussions before things ever got off the ground, Kim not being too sure she wanted to discuss such intimate things with a man. But after thinking things over for a while longer, she figured there wasn't a better person to clue her in on the workings of the male psyche, and she had decided to give things a shot, just to see where they would lead her.

Now weeks later, Kim had to admit that she hadn't been disappointed. Her Fan was completely attentive to her and he seemed to be genuinely interested in everything that she had to say, always there to give her some much needed support whenever she'd had a bad day. And she still had them, plenty of them, although they weren't quite as frequent as before. Even her nights were a lot more peaceful now, the unknown face of her mysterious new friend taking the place of Glen's in her dreams. After weeks of conversations, Kim couldn't explain the magnetic draw she felt to this total stranger, but she refused to let herself dwell on things for too long. The main point was that she had almost achieved what she had set out to do, purge her heart and soul of the painful memories that had at one time threatened to destroy her. And she was well on her way to doing just that. And she owed it all to the help of her Fan.

**XXXXXXXX**

Sitting alone in his darkened hotel room, Glen's broad smile reflected off of the bright computer screen, growing to even greater proportions as he chatted with Kim. To say that this time was always the highlight of his day was a huge understatement. He could barely wait for 11:30 to roll around every night, when his work was through and he was able to log on to the computer so they could chat.

He'd learned so much more about her these past few weeks, the most joyful thing being that she was apparently having a very hard time getting over him. Although he couldn't deny the pangs of guilt that ached inside of him with every word he wrote to her, the knowledge that she still cared for him kept him going strong, allowing him to hope that maybe he still might have a chance with her after all.

She had confessed so many things to him during the span of these few short weeks, and Glen knew she would be absolutely mortified to discover that she was baring her very soul to the one person who had caused all of her heartache and misery. But every confession that she made seemed to draw him closer to her, making him want to take her in his arms and hold her close and chase all of her pain away.

But even as she continued to reveal even more of herself to him, Glen was very careful to keep the details of his own life, particularly his career, as vague as possible, fearful that he would unintentionally give up too much information and alert her to his true identity. He did not want to lie to her, so he tried to avoid the topic as much as possible and any answers he felt compeled to give, he kept to an absolute minimum.

But despite his desire to remain anonymous for the time being, he had, from the very beginning, made it very clear to her that her Fan was not a woman. He'd been very hesitant to reveal even that much information to her, fearing that it would alert her to who he truly was. Thankfully, that bit of information hadn't frightened her away or made her suspicious, and Glen felt slightly better about the whole situation, at least knowing he'd come clean with that one very important detail.

Since those first few nights, they had shared several intimate conversations, mainly about their past relationships, including Glen's first marriage. He hadn't intended to work his ill-fated past into their discussions, but he'd quickly found that Kim was just too easy to talk to and he'd been unable to stop himself. Bit by bit, he had revealed pieces of his own past to her, using that common bond to gain her trust in him. And now that he had her trust, he knew he would have to be especially careful if he was going to keep it, knowing that one small slip-up on his part would send everything he had so carefully tried to build between them crashing to the ground to be lost forever. That was a chance that Glen simply wasn't willing to take. He'd worked too hard to to screw things up between them again.

**XXXXXXXXX**

Rushing into her apartment, Kim tossed her keys onto the nearby table as she made her way around the furniture toward her bedroom, heading straight for her computer as she flipped on the light. Turning it on, she eyed the clock nervously, silently cursing Michelle when she saw that it was already past midnight. Fidgeting in her seat, she prayed that her Fan hadn't given up on her yet tonight.

She hadn't meant to stay out so late. Hadn't actually intended to go out at all. But Michelle had been too persistent and in the end her pleas had finally won out. Kim had finally agreed to another girl's night out, with the understanding that she had to be home by 11:00. While Michelle had teased her unmercifully about her self-enforced curfew, Kim had been adamant about it and had been well on her way to fulfilling it, until they were on their way out of the bar.

Seeing that they were about to leave, Michelle had been quickly cornered by the handsome man she had been flirting with all evening, and it had taken every ounce of energy that Kim could muster to drag her friend away from the place, vowing to leave her there if she didn't pick up her feet and start moving at a faster pace.

Seeing that she was the more sober of the two, Kim had taken the keys and driven Michelle home before heading back to her own apartment, thankful that she hadn't passed any police cars on the way. Now that she was finally here, she hoped that her Fan would still be waiting for her. She was looking forward to chatting with him for a while before she headed off to bed.

Thinking of the numerous conversations they had shared, Kim couldn't help but smile. It had been over three months now and they had talked almost every single night, surprisingly never running out of things to say to each other. They just seemed to fit together so well, nothing was ever awkward or out of place, their conversations never forced or contrived. She felt just as comfortable talking to him as she did to her best friend. In fact, she often found herself sharing things with him that even Michelle didn't know about. And never once did she question the sanity of what she was doing, somehow just knowing that her Fan wouldn't betray her trust. It just didn't seem to be in his nature to do such a thing.

Finally getting her computer up and running, Kim quickly logged into her messenger account, her heart falling when she saw that her Fan was no longer online. Banging her fist against the desk in frustration, she sighed as she opened her email account, wondering if maybe he had sent her a message before he logged off. This time she wasn't disappointed and she smiled when she saw the message pop up on her screen, happy that he had still remembered her.

Opening the message, Kim read through it hurriedly, then paused for a moment before reading through it again. Sitting back in her chair, she blinked in confusion as she read it for yet a third time, her mind a whirlwind of emotions as she tried to make sense of the words on her screen.

Of all the things she had been expecting to read, this certainly hadn't been one of them.

Letting out the deep breath she found she had been holding, she stared at the message with a mixture of shock and awe, still not quite able to comprehend what she had just read.

Things had just taken an unexpected turn. But whether it would be for better or worse remained to be seen.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

"So what do you want to watch now?" Michelle asked as she flipped through the channels on the television, glancing back over her shoulder at Kim who was sitting behind her on the couch.

"I don't care. Just pick something." Kim mumbled, staring down at the container of ice cream she held in her lap, poking at it with her spoon.

"Damn it woman! What the hell's wrong with you?" Michelle teased, smacking Kim on the foot as she turned to face her. "You're not still thinking about that message you got the other day from your mystery man, are you?"

Kim frowned as she shrugged her shoulders.

"It's stupid. I know. I just can't stop thinking about it. I don't know what I should do."

"What is there to think about? He said he was going to be in this area on business and he wants to meet you. You've been pining over him for weeks now. I can't believe you wouldn't jump at the chance to finally meet him in person." Michelle replied, swiping the ice cream from Kim's hand and shoving a big spoonful in her mouth.

"It's just not that simple. I mean, I know I've been talking to him for a while now. But I really don't know anything about this man. And I'm supposed to just waltz off to be alone with him somewhere. What if he's some kind of deranged lunatic, just waiting for a chance to get me alone so he can cut me up into a million pieces? It's crazy. I mean, it could be really dangerous."

"You're never going to get anywhere in this world if you don't take a chance every now and then." Michelle stated calmly, flashing Kim a mischievous grin.

"Well, I took a chance with Glen and look what happened there. That certainly didn't get me very far, now did it?" Kim replied, bending over to snatch her ice cream back from Michelle.

"I don't know. I guess I'm just afraid of being let down again. I mean, after everything I went through with him, I just don't think I could handle that kind of disappointment again." she continued, staring down at the half-empty container in her lap as she mulled over her options. "What if he turns out to be just another big jerk?"

"Well, you won't know unless you try. Besides, you might just luck up this time. Maybe your mystery man will turn out to be Mr. Right." Michelle replied.

Smiling slightly, Kim shook her head.

"So, what does Mr. Right do for a living anyway?" Michelle asked, turning back to the television.

Kim responded with another shrug of her shoulders.

"To be honest, I'm really not sure. He doesn't talk much about his job. Every time I bring it up, he changes the subject."

"Well then, what do you know about him?" Michelle continued, trying to drag more details out of her friend.

"I know he's been married before. We've talked about that a lot." Kim replied.

"So what happened there? His ex-wife didn't come home early one day and catch him banging the next door neighbor, did she?"

Kim laughed out loud.

"Not that I know of. Actually, it seemed to be the other way around. Apparently, he found out that his wife was just using him. All I know is that he was heartbroken when he found out. He was devastated when he discovered the truth."

"He must have really loved her if he was that hurt over it." Michelle stated, frowning when she thought of how cruel some people could be.

"I can't imagine how bad he must have felt. I know how horrible it feels to discover that someone isn't the person you think they are." Kim murmured, her mind immediately drifting back to thoughts of Glen.

"Well, you know, that may be a good thing." Michelle stated, smiling when Kim threw her a confused look. "If he was that heartbroken over his failed marriage, then that means he must have been a faithful and loving husband. And those certainly aren't bad qualities for a man to have. You never know, they just might come in handy some day." Michelle replied with a wink.

"He asked me to meet him for dinner Michelle, not run off to the nearest chapel and get married."

"My point exactly!" Michelle exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air. "It's no big deal so quit worrying so much. Go meet the man for dinner, have a few drinks and talk for a while. At the end of the night, if things don't work out, you two can go your separate ways and you'll at least feel better knowing that you tried. There's no harm in that now is there?"

"No. I suppose not." Kim replied, after thinking it over for a few moments.

"Don't worry Kim. Things will work out for the best. You'll see. You've just got to have a little faith, that's all."

"I hope you're right Michelle." Kim replied, her stomach already in knots when she thought about finally meeting her Fan. "Because I really don't think I could handle it if they don't."

**XXXXXXXXX**

Pulling his laptop out of its case and setting it on the table, Glen turned it on as he sat down in his chair, hoping that he had finally gotten a response from Kim. He hadn't heard from her since the night he'd sent her a message telling her that he was going to be in town on business and that he wanted to meet her and he was starting to get really concerned that he'd made a huge mistake.

He already knew that it had been a foolish move on his part but he'd been unable to stop himself from going through with it. With the travel schedule he had, it was very rare that he came anywhere close to where she lived, and it had just been too much for him to take knowing that he would be so close and not be able to see her.

But now he was silently cursing himself for his decision. Apparently, Kim hadn't been too fond of the idea. He hadn't heard from her at all in days. She hadn't bothered to send a reply to his email, nor had she been online for their nightly conversations. He just hoped that his foolish actions hadn't caused too much damage to their fragile relationship. He had made too much progress over the past few months to let her slip away from him again now.

Checking his email, his spirits fell even more when he found no response from her there. Logging into his messenger account, he made sure to leave it on as he browsed through some of his favorite sites, just in case she happened to log on herself. Even though he knew it was way too early in the evening to expect her online, he hoped that maybe fate would finally play in his favor and she would somehow magically appear.

Stealing an occasional glance out the window, he watched as the darkness slowly enfolded the landscape around him, wasting away the time as he alternated between searching his favorite sites and daydreaming.

Startled from his thoughts by a knock at his door, he glanced back down at his computer wistfully, sighing softly as he stood from his chair and made his way across his room. Peering curiously through the peephole, he was surprised to see his friend Chris Irvine standing on the other side of the door.

"Hey man. What are you doing here?" Glen asked as he opened the door, stepping to the side to allow his friend to enter.

"Well, since we had the night off, a bunch of us guys are going out to dinner. Maybe have a few drinks. You know, just sit around and bullshit for a while. I thought you might want to go with us." Chris replied as he walked past him and headed toward the center of the room.

Stealing another glance toward the open laptop on his table, Glen rubbed his head as he contemplated the offer. He could either spend all evening moping around in his lonely hotel room, waiting on a message that he might never receive or he could take advantage of his evening off and spend it relaxing with his closest friends. Staring at the computer again, he frowned at the possibility of missing Kimberly if she were to come online. But if he made it back to his room early enough, he thought he still might have a chance to catch her if she did.

"Okay. I'll go with you guys. I need to shower first though. Do you want me to meet you there?" he asked, turning to look at Chris again.

Glancing at his watch, Chris shook his head.

"Nah. We've got plenty of time. I'll just wait on you and we'll go together."

"Suit yourself." Glen replied as he grabbed up some clothes and headed toward the bathroom. "Give me about 10 minutes."

Once his friend had disappeared behind the closed door, Chris paced restlessly around the room for a few moments before he spotted Glen's open laptop on the table. Casting a nervous glance at the bathroom door, he eased toward the computer carefully, pulling out the chair and taking a seat.

"He won't mind if I check my email, I'm sure." Chris mumbled to himself, as he pulled the laptop closer.

Opening up the web browser, he was more than a little surprised when the page opened to the Sinful Nature website.

"What the hell….?" he murmured, chuckling to himself as he glanced once more toward the closed door of the bathroom.

Scrolling down the page, he read through some of the posts that Glen had obviously read himself, taking note that they were all written by someone named Kimberly.

_What the hell is he doing reading this stuff? I thought it wasn't 'his thing'_, Chris thought to himself, remembering Glen's remarks that night in the locker room when they had first discovered the site.

Keeping a close eye on the door to the bathroom, he continued to browse, trying to figure out what had caused Glen's sudden change of heart. Not only had he started reading the stuff, he was apparently into it pretty heavy if he had set his homepage to the site.

Lost in his thoughts, Chris jumped when he heard the chime sound on the computer, taking note that it was Glen's instant message alert. Seconds later, a message popped up on the screen and Chris nearly fell out of the chair when he saw that it was from someone named Kimberly. Surely this wasn't the same Kimberly from the website? The one whose posts Glen had been reading so faithfully?

"Just what in the hell is going on here?" he murmured as he gazed down at the message, his expression one of complete and utter confusion.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Staring nervously at her computer screen, Kim waited for her Fan to respond to her message, hoping that he wasn't angry with her for not contacting him sooner. Surely he would understand her need to think things over before making such an important decision.

After a few minutes had passed without a reply, she sent another message, hating to be so impatient, but too eager and nervous to wait very long for a response.

_Hello? Are you there? I'm sorry that it's taken me so long to get back to you. I've just had some…..things….that I needed to deal with. I hope that you'll understand. Please let me know how you've been._

**XXXXXXXXX**

Even though he was trying hard to ignore the new message, Chris finally gave in and read it, which only served to further heighten his curiosity. So his old buddy Glen was communicating with some woman that he'd met online. Well, if that wasn't a shocker coming from someone like him, he didn't know what was. Maybe the big guy still had it in him after all.

**XXXXXXXXX**

"Damn it! I know you're online! I can see you!" Kim murmured in frustration when she still didn't receive an answer to her second message.

Typing yet another one, she hoped that it would be enough to get her Fan's attention.

_I'm sorry if I have upset you by not talking with you for a few days, but after the last message that you sent me, I really just needed to take some time to think about things. But after much soul searching, I have decided to take you up on your offer. If it still stands, then I would love to finally meet you in person. Just let me know when and where and I'll be there._

Sighing as she reclined back in her seat, she hoped it would be enough to finally get her Fan to respond.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"Oh you've got to be kidding me!" Chris exclaimed as he read through the latest message, trying to muffle his laughter as he glanced once more toward the bathroom door, his curiosity aroused too much to even attempt to ignore what was going on.

An Internet romance. Well, he supposed stranger things had happened. Although they normally didn't come from Glen. He was always the smart, level-headed one. Never one to do anything crazy or outlandish. He supposed that was why he found this whole situation so hard to believe.

Glen falling for some woman that he had never met before?

That just didn't seem like him at all, especially after what had happened with his ex-wife. Chris couldn't help but wonder if maybe there was more to the situation that he had originally thought. Well, if nothing else, it would at least make for some interesting conversation over dinner.

Closing all of the open pages on the screen, Chris rose from his seat and wandered over to the bed, flipping on the TV as he waited for Glen to emerge from the bathroom. Still chuckling at his discovery, he wondered how many more secrets his big friend had that were just waiting to be discovered. He was suddenly looking very forward to their dinner tonight. He had a feeling that things were going to get very interesting before the evening was through!

**XXXXXXXX**

Sighing in frustration, Kim frowned as she glanced at the screen, counting off the seconds in her head as she waited for some sort of a reply. After several minutes, she finally gave up and reluctantly logged out of her account and turned off her computer.

As bad as she wanted to, she refused to let herself resort to begging. She'd given her apology. She'd given her explanation. She'd given her decision. If her Fan couldn't or wouldn't accept them, then that was his problem not hers.

The ball was now in his court. If he still wanted to meet her, then he would have to come to her and let her know. Otherwise, she'd just have to move on without him.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

Crowded around a couple of small tables in the corner of the bar, Chris joined in with the others as another uproarious round of laughter passed through the group, shaking his head as he listened to the 'Nature Boy' spout off another one of his outrageous tales. It hadn't taken too many drinks to get him going and he'd been on a roll ever since. As long as the man had been in the business, Chris knew he'd had his share of interesting experiences, but also knowing Flair's penchant for exaggeration, he couldn't help but wonder how many of his tales were actually true. But even if he'd made them all up, Chris couldn't deny the fact that they WERE pretty damn funny!

Sneaking a quick glance in Glen's direction, Chris smiled when he saw him staring impatiently at his watch, grimacing in frustration as Ric started in on yet another one of his stories. Of course, it hadn't been the first time that night that he had caught him in the act. In fact, he'd have to say that Glen had seemed downright distracted throughout the whole dinner. Chris could only smile even more when he thought about Glen being so impatient. Perhaps the Big Red Machine had something better that he would rather be doing?

_Oh I can imagine!, _Chris thought to himself with a chuckle, only listening half-heartedly as Ric continued with the tale of his latest escapades, his mind drifting back to the discovery he had made earlier in Glen's hotel room. He was curious to find out exactly who this woman was. How had Glen met her and why did he seem to be so interested in her? More importantly, was this the same woman whose work he had been reading on that fan fiction website? Was his buddy Glen actually falling for one of his fans?

Chris sighed as he thought about all of the questions he was dying to ask his friend, but he hadn't dared to bring it up over dinner. Not while the others were around. He may not be the smartest guy in the bunch but he certainly wasn't that stupid. Glen was too big and strong and he could really put a hurting on you in the ring if he wanted to. Nope, he didn't want to take the chance on embarrassing him in front of the other guys, just in case he was reading more into things than perhaps there really was. But he could barely contain his curiosity as he waited for a chance to get the answers to all of his questions.

Jumping when he felt a hand on his shoulder, Chris pulled himself from his dazed stupor and turned his head, his gaze coming to rest on the concerned face of Paul Levesque.

"What?" Chris asked, shrugging his shoulders as he gazed around the table, noticing that every one else seemed to be staring at him as well.

"You okay man? You seemed to be about a million miles away right then. You didn't get dropped on your head too hard last night, did you?" Paul chuckled, his voice brimming with amusement.

"No….I'm fine. Why?"

"I was just saying that me and some of the boys are going to go check out that strip club down the street that we passed on our way here. Do you want to come with us?" Paul repeated with a smirk.

Knowing that his wife would kill him if she ever caught him in a place like that, Chris had to politely decline.

"No thanks. I think I'm just gonna head back to my room." he replied. "You guys have fun though. And try to keep Ric off the stage this time. You know he'll get you kicked out of there, just like he did the last time!"

Watching the way Ric was strutting out of the bar, Paul couldn't help but laugh in agreement.

"Yeah….I'll do that." he chuckled, before he ran off to catch up with Ric.

Chris watched as the rest of the guys left the room, then turned his attention to Glen in time to see him stand from the table.

"You going with them too?" Chris asked as Glen gathered his things to leave.

"Nah. I think I'm going to head back to my room. I'm gonna try and catch up on some sleep tonight." Glen mumbled, as he pulled out his wallet and tossed a few bills on the table.

_Yeah right…sure you are_, Chris thought to himself again, smiling when he remembered the messages that he had read earlier. Taking a deep breath, he willed himself to make his move, knowing that it was now or never.

"Uh…Glen? You got a minute before you go? There's something I wanted to talk to you about."

"Um…yeah…I guess…." Glen mumbled, glancing at his watch before reluctantly taking his seat again.

"That must be a real interesting piece." Chris quipped as he cleared his throat, watching as Glen flashed him a confused glance.

"What?"

"The watch. It must really be interesting." Chris repeated.

Glen glanced back down at his wrist curiously.

"What makes you say that?" he asked.

"Because you've been staring at it all night. What's a matter, got a hot date or something?" Chris teased, his smiled widening when he saw the look of surprise that crossed Glen's face.

"Yeah. Like I'd be here with your goofy ass if I did." he responded when he had regained his composure. "So, what did you want to talk to me about?"

"Well…look, I didn't want to say anything in front of the other guys...but…"

"Say anything about what?" Glen interrupted, which caused Chris to frown.

He sighed deeply, wondering if he was doing the right thing by bringing it up. After all, it really wasn't any of his business. If he hadn't been snooping, then he never would have found out about it anyway. But the knowledge that this woman was one of Glen's fans kept gnawing at him and his brain wouldn't allow his mouth to stay closed.

"Look, man….when I was in your room earlier…. what I wanted ask you about….."

_Oh hell, just say it, you wimp_, Chris thought to himself, hating the way he was rambling. Taking another deep breath, he forced the question from his mouth.

"Since when have you started reading fan fiction?"

Glen cocked his head in confusion, his eyes narrowing as he glared at the smaller man from across the table.

"Fan fiction?"

"Yes, fan fiction. And don't try to even play dumb with me because I caught you buddy. You're busted. And I can't wait to hear your explanation because the last I heard, it just wasn't your thing." Chris blurted out, then reclined back in his chair with a satisfied smirk as he watched his big friend squirm.

"Fan fiction?" Glen repeated, seemingly in shock that he'd been caught.

"Yes. Fan fiction. As in Sinful Nature?" Chris replied, his amusement growing with every passing second.

"Oh that. That was nothing. I was just bored and doing a little reading, that's all. We do have quite a bit of time to kill while we're on the road, you know?"

"Just reading, huh? Well you must do quite a bit of reading if you've set your homepage to the site."

"So I do a lot of reading. I find the stories there rather amusing and they really do help pass the time." Glen replied with a shrug of his shoulders. "It's not like you've never done it. Hell, you were the one who told me about the site in the first place."

"Now if that's all you wanted to know, I really would like to head back to my room." he continued, his voice full of annoyance as he stood from his chair and prepared to leave.

Watching in silence for a few moments, Chris waited until Glen started to walk away before he sprung the next question on him.

"Who's Kimberley?" he asked, biting his lip hard to keep from laughing when Glen stopped dead in his tracks.

"What the hell did you just say?" Glen asked as he turned to glare at him coldly.

"Kimberley. I asked you who she was."

"She's nobody that you need to be concerned with!" Glen snapped before turning to walk off again.

"But she's someone for you to be concerned with, right? She's the reason you've been staring at your watch all night, isn't she? What's the matter buddy? Afraid you're gonna be late for your online chat?" Chris chuckled, obviously pleased that he could rile his big friend so easily. Glen always had been such an easy person to read.

"How…how did you know about that?" Glen replied, as he turned back toward Chris once more.

"Look, man. I wasn't trying to spy on you or anything, I swear. When I was in your room earlier….when you were in the shower, I saw your laptop sitting out on the table and I thought I would check my email. That's how I found that Sinful Nature site. You set it to your home page, remember? I looked over the posts on the site and I noticed that you had read all of the ones from Kimberley, when you had ignored most of the others. So I just wondered if there was something going on there."

"So she's a good writer. I just really enjoy reading her work. Is that so bad?" Glen questioned as he took his seat again, seemingly daring Chris to contradict him.

"No I guess there's nothing bad about that." Chris replied, smiling when he saw Glen visibly relax. "But that still doesn't explain why she's sending you instant messages on your computer, agreeing to meet you somewhere."

"She did what?" Glen yelled, glancing nervously at his watch as he rose from his seat again. "She was online? She actually left me a message and you're just now telling me! Shit, that was like three hours ago! She had to see that somebody was online! Damn it Chris, she probably thinks I'm mad at her or something because you….I…didn't send her a message back!"

"Relax big guy. I could've said something earlier but I didn't want to bring it up in front of the other guys…."

"I can't believe you didn't tell me about this before now." Glen muttered, running a hand through his hair as he took his seat once more. "I hope she's not mad at me for not responding to her. I've worked too hard these past few months to mess things up now…."

Glen's voice trailed off in mid-sentence, which caused Chris to frown in concern.

"Hey man. You okay…."

"Did you just say that she agreed to meet with me?" Glen asked, his friend's earlier words finally registering in his mind.

"Yeah. She said to just let her know when and where and she would be there."

"She said yes…" Glen repeated, almost in disbelief, his mind suddenly a whirlwind of emotion.

"Yes. She said yes." Chris replied with a smile, watching as Glen's own face brightened instantly.

"So, now that you know she's coming to see you, you care to tell me what the hell is going on?" he added.

"Hell no! It's a long story and I really don't want to get into it right now." Glen replied. "Besides, it's none of your business anyway."

Standing from his seat, he gathered his things one last time and turned to leave before stopping once more. Turning back to his friend, he shook his finger at him threateningly.

"And do me a favor, will you? Keep this little bit of knowledge to yourself for the time being. I really don't need a bunch of shit from the other guys."

"Sure thing, man. But you know you're gonna owe me sometime down the road." Chris teased as he motioned for his friend to leave.

Shaking his head, Glen quickly left the restaurant and headed back to his room, a huge smile plastered across his face.

So Kimberley had finally agreed to meet him in person. Taking a deep breath, he knew he had his work cut out for him. Whatever he did, he had to plan something special for her for that night. He knew she was probably going to be furious with him when she discovered who her Fan really was and he also knew he was going to have to start things off on the right foot if their meeting was going to be successful.

"I'll find someway to win you over again Kim, I promise." he murmured, completely ecstatic at the thought of finally being able to see her again.

Finally reaching his room, he quickly opened the door and went inside, heading straight for his computer and turning it on. He didn't have any time to waste. He had plans to make and he was going to do everything in his power to make sure they were good ones. He was going to stop at absolutely nothing to make sure it would be a night that she would never forget.

**XXXXXX**

"Well, what do you think?" Kim asked, as she stepped in front of the floor-length mirror and examined herself from head to toe.

She was wearing a simple, knee-length black dress with jewel-encrusted spaghetti straps, which dipped low enough in the front to reveal only the slightest bit of her full breasts. Her hair was now pulled up in a loose twist on top of her head, with a few loose tendrils left to curl softly around her face and her make-up was absolutely flawless. Thank God for friends like Michelle. At the moment, Kim was so nervous that she was sure she would have never been able to put everything together on her own.

"I think you look incredible. You're going to knock his socks off." Michelle replied as she made a few last minute adjustments to her friend's hair.

Kim frowned as she looked herself up and down once more.

"Are you sure I'm doing the right thing, Michelle? I mean it's still not too late for me to call and cancel."

"Stop worrying, Kim. Everything's going to be fine. You look absolutely gorgeous. And I'm sure you're going to have a wonderful time tonight."

"I hope so." Kim murmured as she turned and stalked back toward the bed, rubbing her hands together nervously as she took a seat.

After what had apparently been nothing more than a few small miscommunications, Kim and her Fan had finally gotten together online again. They had agreed upon the exact date and time to meet and her Fan had later sent her the detailed instructions on where she was to meet him. She had been very surprised to find that he had made dinner reservations for them at _Le Château_, which was without a doubt one of the finest restaurants in the entire city. Apparently, it was close to the hotel where he would be staying. Kim had nearly backed out of the whole arrangement when she had discovered those small details. If tonight's plans were any indication, this man seemed to be way out of her class. She hoped she could at least make it through the night without embarrassing herself too badly in front of him.

Glancing at her watch, Michelle grabbed Kim's coat and purse and tossed them in her direction.

"Time to get going woman! You don't want to be late! We can't keep your Prince Charming waiting for too long, now can we?"

Taking one long last look at herself in the mirror, Kim took a deep breath and slipped on her coat.

"Well, here goes nothing. Keep your fingers crossed. Maybe the night won't be a complete disaster."

"You'll do fine, I'm sure. Now run along and have fun. Just don't do anything that I wouldn't do." Michelle teased, giving her friend one last hug before ushering her towards the door.

"Well, that pretty much leaves me free to do just about anything….."

"Haha. Very funny." Michelle laughed. "Now hurry up. You need to get going. I'll lock up everything here for you. And I will be calling in the morning, so I expect details."

Flashing her friend one last hopeful look, Kim quickly headed toward her car and what she hoped would turn out to be a very pleasant evening.

**XXXXXX**

Pausing outside the doors of the restaurant, Kim fought to calm her racing heart, her hands trembling so bad so she could barely manage to open the door. Stepping to the side to let another couple move past her, she stared up at the neon sign over the door, letting her mind replay bits and pieces of the conversations she had shared with her Fan over the course of the past few months, trying her best to prepare herself for what she should expect to find inside. From the impression she had gotten, he seemed to be a very kind and attentive man, certainly not someone she needed to be worried about meeting. But she was suddenly feeling very self-conscious about seeing him. What if she somehow didn't live up to his expectations? What if she somehow let him down?

Well, it was a little too late to be concerned about it now. It was too late to call the whole thing off. Her only option was to simply turn and walk away and at the moment, she wasn't sure that sounded like such a bad idea.

"How do I let myself get talked in to doing this stuff?" she murmured, knowing that she wouldn't, couldn't, leave. It simply wasn't in her to do such a horrible thing.

Steadying her nerves and her resolve, she took several deep breaths, said a silent prayer, then turned back toward the door.

"Well, here goes nothing…." she murmured to herself as she opened the door and stepped inside.

**XXXXXXX**

Rushing down the hall of the hotel, Glen glanced nervously at his watch as he stepped inside the elevator and closed the door. Of all times for Vince to decide to have a surprise meeting with him over his character's new direction…

The meeting had of course gone over, which had put him behind on the rest of the evening's plans. Glancing at his watch again as he reached the lobby of the hotel, he hoped that Kim hadn't given up on him yet. He'd never forgive Vince if he caused him to screw up his last chance to get through to her.

Leaving the hotel, he stepped out into the cool night air, walking briskly in the direction of the restaurant. Pausing at one of the street corners while he waited on the traffic to thin down, he happened to glance to the side and he noticed an elderly street vendor huddled beneath a tattered awning, with a small cart of flowers parked at his side. Digging his wallet out of his pocket, Glen rushed toward him, grabbing first one bouquet, then a second, before tossing the man a few bills and heading back toward the street corner. Hopefully, he could give them to Kim as a peace offering, possibly warding off at least some of her anger before she projected it all toward him.

Finally reaching the restaurant, Glen paused outside the door as he straightened his clothes, tightening his grip on the flowers as he opened it and stepped inside. Once through the main door, he eased himself into the shadows of the lobby and gazed around him, his eyes traveling frantically around the room as he searched for Kim. Then his eyes came to rest on the back of a small blonde who was standing off by herself in the opposite corner as she studied the pictures on the wall, and his heart stopped when he saw that it was her. She hadn't given up on him yet! She was still waiting for him!

He watched her for a few seconds, taking all of her in before he finally worked up the courage to face her again. Stepping out of the shadows, he slowly approached her from behind, praying harder than he had ever prayed before that she would at least take the time to listen to what he had to say before she went off on him.

Coming to rest behind her, Glen cleared his throat before he spoke.

"Hello, Kim….."

**XXXXXX**

**Yes, I left it there. I think I need to be spanked! ;-)**


	20. Chapter 20

**Oh my gosh! Thank you all for the wonderful reviews and for all of the alerts for this story! I hope you continue to enjoy it!**

**Chapter 20**

Standing off by herself in the corner of the restaurant lobby, Kim glanced nervously at her watch, frowning when she saw the time. Apparently, her Fan had some doubts of his own about meeting her. The only difference was that he had apparently been smart enough to follow through with them. It was already fifteen minutes past their scheduled meeting time and he was still nowhere to be found.

"Just my luck." she mumbled to herself, her spirits falling as she gave a tug on the hem of her dress. Glancing at her watch again, she gave a frustrated sigh. She'd give him ten more minutes to show. If he wasn't there by then, then she knew he wouldn't be coming.

"Hello Kim."

The deep rumble of the voice behind her caused her to jump in surprise and she swallowed nervously, her heart pounding faster when she realized that her Fan hadn't stood her up. He was standing right behind her. He was actually there.

But how did he know for sure that it was her? She contemplated the thought for a moment, her mind drifting back to the numerous conversations that they had shared. She didn't recall ever sending him a picture of herself. So how could he be so certain about her name? Then she smiled when she thought of the man standing behind her. Did it really make a difference? All she knew was that her Fan was there and she was finally going to meet him in person.

"I was beginning to think you had forgotten about me…." she stated as she turned around, her voice trailing off and her smile fading when she saw who was standing before her.

Glen sucked in a heavy breath as she gazed up at him. She was even more beautiful than he had remembered. How had he ever been foolish enough to let her slip through his fingers in the first place?

"Hello Kim. It's nice to see you again." Glen stated softly, his eyes slowly traveling over her face, trying his best to read the multitude of emotions that were reflected there.

"Glen? What….what are you doing here?" Her eyes darted nervously around the lobby as a sickening feeling began to work it's way into her stomach.

"Well, we have reservations for dinner tonight." he replied, motioning toward the dining area.

"We?"

"Yes. Us. You and me. We have a dinner date." he explained. "I'm sorry I'm late. I had…."

"Wait. You….you're…my….Fan?" she stammered, cutting him off. She shook her head, staring up at him in complete disbelief over the sudden revelation.

Smiling slightly, Glen nodded his head.

"Yes. I am your….Fan." he confessed, his gaze dropping to the flowers that were now crushed in his fist. "Here….these are for you. I hoped that maybe you would….."

"Oh my God. You're my Fan?" Kim exclaimed, cutting him off yet again.

He nodded his head again silently, uncertain as to what, if anything, he should say.

"Oh my God." she repeated, turning away from him as her eyes searched for the exit sign. "I don't believe this! This can't be happening!"

"Look Kim, I know this must be a real shock for you. But if you'll just let me explain…." he started, reaching out as he took a step closer to her. She knocked his hand away before he could touch her.

"You must really think I'm an idiot! I can't believe I was actually dumb enough to fall for this!" Kim laughed hysterically, tears filling her eyes. "I bet you've gotten plenty of laughs out of me and my pathetic rambling these past few months, huh? Me and my big mouth. Oh my God, I can't believe this…."

"Kim, please, just listen to me. I know you're upset…"

"Upset? Upset? Oh, I'm a helluva lot more than upset!" she shot back. "You lied to me, Glen. You made me believe that you were somebody else. Everything that I told you….You know, you've got a lot of nerve showing up here like this anyway, after all this time…."

"Please calm down Kim. I swear I didn't come here tonight to upset you." he replied, frowning. Things were not getting off to the great start he had hoped for.

"Really? Well, I suppose you thought I'd actually be happy to see you after the way you ditched me the last time we were together? You used me Glen and then you left me alone, without even so much as a goodbye. How in the hell do you think that makes me feel?"

"I know I hurt you Kim, but if you'll just let me explain…."

"Oh there's no need for you to explain. I understand everything just fine. You were bored and needed a few laughs so you thought what better way to entertain yourself than by tormenting one of your fans. Well, I hoped it worked Glen. I hope to hell that it was worth it! That you and all of your buddies got a real kick out of my sorry, pathetic life!" she yelled, paying no attention to the fact that they were starting to draw attention to themselves.

Glen directed an evil glare toward the small group of onlookers, which caused them to scatter in a hurry, leaving the couple alone again. Turning his attention back to Kim, he reached out for her slowly, hoping to find someway to calm her down. But she wanted absolutely no part of him and she swatted his hand away again before planting her own hands firmly on her hips and staring him down.

"I swear Kim, I didn't do this to hurt you. I would never hurt somebody like that just for fun. And you don't have to worry about the other guys. Nobody else knows anything about what happened between us…"

"Hey guys! What's going on?"

Glen and Kim both turned to face their uninvited guest, Glen frowning when he saw who it was. Damn that Chris Irvine! The man was going to die before it was over with!

"We're busy Chris. Get lost." Glen growled at his friend.

"Oh….uh…sorry. Didn't mean to interrupt." Chris stammered, turning to nod to Kim as he quickly picked up on his cue to leave.

"It's quite alright. I think we're done here anyway. Good-bye Glen." Kim stated before she turned to leave.

"Kim, wait…please don't go. Not yet. At least hear me out before you leave…."

"Kim?" Chris interrupted, as he reached out and gently caught her by the arm. "You're Kim? From the Internet? From Sinful Nature? You're the one who wrote all those stories?"

Staring at Chris in horror and embarrassment, Kim tried to hold back the wave of emotion that rushed through her. So much for thinking that Glen might actually be honest with her. Hadn't he just said that nobody else knew about her?

Shrugging her arm out of Chris's grasp, Kim let her gaze wander into the open dining room, for the first time noticing many of the other guys who were seated around the various tables, eating and enjoying themselves as she carried on her conversation with Glen. Had he known they would be there? Had he planned this all along? Was that why he had insisted on meeting her here? So he could embarrass her one last time in front of his friends? So they could all see how stupid and gullible she was?

Mortified beyond belief, Kim couldn't stifle the rush of tears that were now flowing from her eyes.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you cry…." Chris stated softly as he reached out to comfort her.

"Get lost Chris!" Glen repeated menacingly and Chris immediately released Kim and took a step backwards. He was smart enough to know that he was about to push his luck too far.

"Uh…sorry. It was nice to meet you." he stated, waving at Kim before he disappeared back into the dining room.

Kim stared at Glen with disgust.

"Nobody else knows about me?" she asked sarcastically, crossing her arms over her chest as she waited for him to reply.

"It's not what you think Kim. If you'll just let me explain…."

Holding up her hand, she quickly silenced him.

"It doesn't matter Glen. I don't want to hear it. You've lied to me enough. I'm not going to bother listening to anything else you have to say."

Pulling her coat tighter around her, she slung her purse over her shoulder, pausing for a moment as she glanced back up at him.

"It took me forever to get over you the first time. And just when I was finally ready to move on with my life, you have to show up again. I won't let you do this to me anymore. I've worked too hard these past few months to let you bring me down again. I want you out of my life, Glen. I don't want to talk to you. I don't want to see you. I don't want to have anything to do with you at all. Whatever sick little game you've been trying to play…it's over. I'm not going to let you hurt me anymore."

Kim turned to leave, then paused as she turned to him once more.

"Good-bye Glen. I hope you can live with yourself after everything you've done."

Then she turned and headed toward the door, leaving him behind to stare after her longingly, the pain obvious in his eyes. Casting a downward glance, he noticed the flowers that he was still holding in his hand.

"Damn it!" he yelled, throwing them against the wall, his eyes traveling back to Kim as she rushed across the lobby.

Trying to keep herself from falling apart, Kim quickly headed toward the door, wanting nothing more than to be away from this horrible place. Away from the pain. Away from him.

Just the sight of him had reawakened the emotions that she had fought so hard to conquer. Feelings of love and desire that she already knew would never be returned. She couldn't let herself fall back into that same destructive pattern again. She had to walk away while she still could.

She turned the handle on the door and pushed outward to open it before it was jerked from her grasp and she felt herself being lifted from the ground. Picking her up with ease, Glen tossed her over his shoulder, then paused to look around him for a moment before heading in the direction of a hallway located off the far side of the lobby, ignoring the strange glances he received from several stunned patrons along the way.

"Glen! What in the hell do you think you're doing? Put me down right now!" Kim shrieked as she banged her small fists against his back.

"I'm taking you somewhere quiet where we can talk. I'm not done with you Kim. Not by a long shot. I'm not letting you leave here until you hear everything that I have to say." Glen replied as he carried his tiny captive off to meet her fate.


	21. Chapter 21

**Thanks again for all of the reviews and alerts! You guys are amazing! :-)**

**Chapter 21**

"GLEN! PUT ME DOWN THIS INSTANT!"

Kim's screams echoed off of the bare walls of the deserted hallway, but her loud protests went ignored as Glen continued through the dimly lit corridor. Randomly checking the doors as he went, he finally found one at the end of the hallway that was partially open. Swinging the door open, he flipped on the switch and glanced around, nodding his head in approval as he strode inside. It appeared to be some kind of supply room, with various food items stacked along the metal shelving on the walls and numerous stacks of boxes scattered about in various areas along the floor. Definitely not the most romantic place in the world, but it was quiet and secluded. It would certainly serve his purpose for the time being. Kicking the door closed with his foot, he gently placed Kim back on her feet, then leaned back against it, crossing his arms over his chest as he stared down at her.

"What in the hell is wrong with you? First you sleep with me, then you sneak out on me, then you lie to me and pretend that your somebody else, and now you think you can just pick me up and carry me off like I'm some kind of prized possession!" she yelled, her face flushed with embarrassment as she tried to smooth down her dress. "Well, I hate to be the one to break the news to you Neanderthal man, but we are now in the twenty-first century. You can't go around forcing people to do things they don't want to do. So, why don't you just head on back to your cave…."

"You know, you're beautiful when you're angry." he interrupted, a small smile tilting at his lips as he gazed at her.

Surprised by his words, she faltered briefly, her jaw dropping as she stared up at him. Then just as quickly, she recovered and she snapped her mouth closed, giving a frustrated huff as she glared at him.

"Damn it Glen! This is not funny! Now, I'm only going to say this one more time. I don't want anything else to do with you. I don't want to hear whatever it is that you have to say. I don't want to be here with you. Now please move out of the way and let me out of here or I swear when I do get out, I'll go straight to the police and press charges against you for kidnapping!"

Glen remained silent as he rested against the door.

"Well?" she asked, when he didn't say anything. "Are you going to move or not?"

Shaking his head, he looked down at her and grinned.

"No."

"What the hell do you mean, no?" she yelled, her temper flaring at the smug look on his face.

"I meant just what I said. I'm not letting you go. Not yet, anyway." he stated as he uncrossed his arms and pushed himself off of the door. "You've had your say. Now I'm going to have mine. And you're going to stay right here and listen to me until I'm done."

"I am not going to waste my time listening to any more of your lies. As far as I'm concerned this conversation is over and I'm leaving NOW!" Kim replied, as she tried to dart around him toward the door.

But Glen had anticipated her movements and he quickly reached out and grabbed her again, hoisting her from the ground and carrying her across the room. Placing her on top of a pile of boxes that were stacked neatly against the wall, he placed a hand on either side of her legs and leaned in toward her, leaving her with no choice but to remain exactly where he had put her.

Staring into his face, which was now only inches from hers, Kim glared at him in frustration. Had she not been so angry, she would have probably given in to the temptation of having him so close to her again. But as it was now, she was too furious to think about any kind of attraction she might still have for him. In fact, she'd have to say that she was more upset than she could ever recall being in her entire life. After everything this man had done to her, now he was trying to boss her around on top of it all. How in the world had she ever let herself fall for someone like him in the first place?

"God, you are such an ass! You've got some nerve demanding anything from me after all the shit you put me through. You've got no right to keep me here like this. Now would you please let me go!"

Smiling as his eyes traveled over her face, Glen chuckled softly.

"You know if you keep on talking like that, I might just have to find someway to shut you up. And I certainly have an idea or two on how to do that." he stated, his eyes dropping to her lips.

Clamping her mouth closed, Kim crossed her arms over her chest and frowned at him. She couldn't tell from his tone whether or not he was joking, but she certainly wasn't willing to take any chances.

Nodding his head at her sudden cooperation, Glen took a step back to give her some room.

"Does that mean you're ready to listen to me now?" he asked, the calmness in his voice hiding the nervousness that he was feeling at the moment. He knew this would be his last chance to get through to her. He had to make sure that he said the right things. If she left here tonight as angry as she was right now, he knew that he would never see her again.

"Do I really have a choice?" she quipped, her mouth closing almost as soon as she had opened it, fearful that he might follow through with his threat.

"No, I guess you really don't have a choice. But still, it would be nice to know that you're going to consider what I have to say before you dismiss it completely." he replied, sighing at her.

"Look Kim, I know what I did was wrong. All of it…the sneaking out on you, pretending to be someone else….it was all wrong. I'm not even going to try to deny that. All I'm asking for is a chance to explain my actions. I want you to at least know why I did the things I did. It might change things. It might not. But I'll at least feel better knowing that you've heard what I have to say."

"You'll feel better? Is that all your concerned about? How YOU feel? What about me? How the hell do you think I feel after everything you've done to me? How do you think I felt when I woke up alone that morning only to find that you'd snuck out in the middle of the night without even saying good-bye? How do you think I felt tonight, when I discovered that the person I'd been confiding in for the past few months is the same person who caused all of my pain to begin with? But you're not concerned with how I feel, are you? No, you never have been. You're just concerned with yourself. Making yourself feel better by clearing up your guilty conscience! Well, I'm not going to let you use me again, just so you can feel better about yourself. Maybe it will do you some good to suffer a little bit. Maybe then you'll see what it feels like to hurt."

"Damn it, Kim! I didn't do any of this to hurt you! Why the hell can't you see that? Do you really think I'd go through all of this…everything that I've done these past few months….just for a few laughs? Think about all the nights we spent together online. All of the conversations we had. We talked about a lot of different things. I told you things that not many other people know about me. I revealed just as much of myself to you as you did to me. Do you think I would have bothered to do that if it was nothing more than a joke? Do you really think I would risk hurting myself just so I could hurt you?"

Meeting his gaze for a brief moment, Kim glared at him coldly, but offered no response to his questions.

Running his hands over his face, Glen sighed loudly.

"That night that we met…the one that we spent together….I never meant for things to go that far. But you'd written all of those wonderful things about me and when I finally got to meet you in person, I just didn't want to disappoint you. I was trying to be the person you thought I was. The person you wanted me to be. I just got carried away. And when I realized what I had done, knowing that I could never live up to your expectations of me, I just couldn't bear to face you again. I couldn't stand the thought of seeing the disappointment in your eyes when you realized that I was not that person. So I left while you were still asleep, hoping that it would somehow keep the illusion alive."

He paused to look at Kim, who was still sitting quietly on top of the stack of boxes, her arms crossed over her chest as she gazed down at her lap. But thankfully, she appeared to be listening to him, so he took the opportunity to continue.

"You have every right to be angry at me for leaving the way I did. But I didn't leave without out saying good-bye. I did leave you a note."

Glen paused again when he saw her raise her head and look at him. She opened her mouth as if to speak and he raised his hands to silence her. He didn't need her getting angry again right now, not while he seemed to be making some progress.

"I didn't leave a note when I first left, that's true. I was in such a hurry to get out of there before you woke up, I didn't think to leave one. But after I got back to my room and realized what I had done, I did take the time to write you a letter and I slipped it under your door. I don't know why you didn't get it. Maybe you were already gone. Maybe you just didn't see it. All I know is that I thought you had read it."

Risking another glance in his direction, Kim measured him skeptically. Was it possible that he was actually telling her the truth? Or was this just one last desperate attempt to fool her so he could hurt her one more time before he disappeared from her life for good?

"After that night, I tried everything I could to forget about what happened between us." he continued. "I thought that maybe you would try and forget about it as well. But when you sent me that message saying that you were going to quit writing, I knew that I had to do something to change your mind. I couldn't let my mistake take away something that gave you so much pleasure. All I had to do was read your work and I could tell how much you enjoyed writing those stories. And you were so good at it, too. I just didn't want to be the reason that you gave it all up."

"So you decided to lie to me instead?" she asked sarcastically, her eyes boring into him as he began to pace across the floor.

"I never intended for things to go as far as they did, Kim. I had already posted several messages for you on the board, even before we met, so I just decided to carry things a little further. I thought that maybe if I encouraged you enough, that I could convince you to start writing again. That's all I wanted to do. But once we started talking, I realized that there was so much that I didn't know about you. So much that I wanted to learn. You were so easy to talk to and just knowing how you felt about me….I just couldn't seem to stop myself. I let things get out of control….again."

He paused again, turning to Kim and was surprised to see her lift her head and meet his gaze.

"What about tonight? You can't tell me that you didn't have some kind of ulterior motive for inviting me here. What about all of the other guys inside the dining room? What about your buddy from the lobby? They all seemed to be expecting me too. You said that nobody else knew about me, but Chris certainly seemed to know who I was." she questioned.

"Chris is the only one who knew about you and even he doesn't know the whole story. The only reason he knew anything at all is because he was snooping around on my computer one day while he was in my room. As far as the other guys go, I was as surprised as you were to see them here tonight. This place certainly doesn't fit the description of their normal hangouts. It was purely coincidental that they happened to be here."

Growing quiet, Glen watched Kim intently, pleased to notice that she appeared to be considering his words. She was calmer now. That was certainly a good thing. She'd be much more rational and hopefully more accepting of his explanation. If only she'd be willing to forgive him, he'd gladly spend the rest of his life trying to make it up to her.

"I swear Kim, I didn't do any of this just to hurt you. If I could go back and change things, I would have never left you that night. I just want you to know that I'm sorry and I hope that you'll find it in your heart to forgive me."

"So it was all just a big misunderstanding? Is that what you're saying? It was all just a big mistake?" Kim finally asked. The anger was gone from her voice now. Instead she just sounded…tired.

Holding his breath, Glen nodded his head as she met his gaze. All he needed was to hear her say yes. For her to grant him her forgiveness. To let him know that she understood.

"Are you finished now?"

The question caught him completely off guard and he frowned as he stared down at her.

"That's it? That's all you have to say?" she repeated, glaring at him in annoyance as she waited for an answer.

Glen nodded silently.

"I guess that means we're done here then." she added, hoping down off of the stack of boxes and gathering up her purse before taking a step toward the door.

"Wait. You're leaving?" he asked, confused, as he stepped into her path.

"Yes, that's what it looks like. Well, I'm trying to anyway, if somebody would get out of my way." she stated in exasperation, placing her hands on her hips as she frowned at him.

"Kim, please. You can't go. Not yet. Just please…listen to me…"

"No. We had a deal. You said you weren't going to let me leave until I listened to what you had to say. Well, I listened, you're finished, and now I'm leaving." she argued, as she tried to move around him, only to have him block her path again.

"Kim, please don't go. You don't know how long I've waited to see you again. At least stay and have dinner with me. Give me a chance to make things up to you."

Closing her eyes, Kim tried to block out the sound of desperation in his voice, tried to block out the pain that was starting to surface in her heart. She'd spent so many years lusting after this man. Dreaming of him. Obsessing over him. Living for a time when she might possibly be with him. And now she had it all. He was standing right in front of her, pleading for her not to walk out on him, and all she could think about was how badly he had hurt her. Of the pain and suffering he had caused. The battle that was raging inside of her mind and her heart was nearly tearing her apart, but in the end, she knew there could only be one choice. The dreams had never been real. The pain was. And she couldn't let him hurt her anymore.

"I'm sorry that things have come to this, but after everything that's happened, you leave me with no choice. Good-bye Glen. I hope that things work out for you some day."

Fighting the urge to grab her and hold her back, Glen forced himself to let her go as she stepped around him and headed toward the door. He'd given it his best shot, but apparently it hadn't been good enough. Kim had obviously made up her mind and now she was leaving. Things were now out of his hands. There was nothing left for him to try. All he could do was stand back and watch her as she walked out of his life for good.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

Holding her breath as she rushed across the room, Kim was surprised when Glen made no attempt to stop her. Reaching the door, she gripped the handle tightly and gave it a sharp turn, but much to her dismay, it didn't open. Turning it in the opposite direction, she pushed against it with her shoulder, but still, the heavy door wouldn't budge. Looking back over her shoulder, she saw that Glen was staring at her curiously and that only served to rile her temper even more.

"Do you mind?" she asked sarcastically as she pointed to the door. "A little help here please."

Seeing her dilemma, Glen hesitated, considering his options. He could always refuse to help her, forcing her to remain with him for a little while longer. But seeing how angry she already was, he quickly decided against it. What would be the point? It would only prolong the inevitable and there was no sense upsetting her any more than she already was.

Kim moved aside as he slowly stalked toward her and watched as he gripped the handle and turned it, shoving his weight into the door. When it still didn't move, he gave the handle a few more sharp twists, then released it as he stepped back, rubbing his hand through his hair as the full realization of their predicament hit him.

"Well?"

Kim's voice echoed impatiently behind him and he turned to face her.

"Aren't you going to open it?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at him.

Shaking his head, Glen smiled apologetically.

"I can't open it. It's locked."

"Locked?" Kim repeated, her eyes growing wide as her gaze traveled between Glen and the door. "Oh….NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! Absolutely not! I can't be stuck here in this….place! Not with you! Damn it, Glen! Do something! Get us out of here!"

"The door locks from the outside, Kim. I can't open it."

"What do you mean, you can't open it? You can rip a damn door off of a steel cage but you can't knock a real door off of its hinges? Is that what you're telling me?"

Glen glared down at her in annoyance.

"The cage door was rigged, Kim! The next thing you know, you'll be telling me you thought I was actually burned too!"

"No, but I do think that you've been hit in the head too hard at some point during your lifetime! More than once, I might add! That would certainly explain why you're such a moron! Now would you please stop talking to me and find someway to get us out of here!"

"And just what would you suggest that I do? Pull a key out of my ass?" Glen snapped back, his patience wearing thin.

"I really don't know but if you don't do something to get us out of here, you're gonna be pulling my foot out of your ass! Now get busy!"

"You know, after the way you've been yelling at me all evening, I'm not so sure I want to help you out. Maybe we should just hang out for a while. Get to know each other even better! Hell, maybe we could spend the whole night in here. You know, just to prolong your misery!"

"You wouldn't dare!" she shot back, her hands moving back to her hips as she stared him down.

"You want to try me?" he asked, his voice low as he returned her glare.

"Open…the…door!" she repeated, ignoring his threat.

"Give me one good reason why I should." Glen answered stubbornly, crossing his arms over his chest in defiance.

"Because you were the one who locked us in here! That's why!" Kim yelled, refusing to back down from him. "God, Glen! I swear….if I could get my hands around that big neck of yours, I'd choke you to death!"

"Don't worry. If I have to listen to much more of your whining and complaining, I'll gladly do it myself!" he growled, throwing her one last glare before finally turning his attention back to the door.

Watching as he bent over to examine the lock, Kim turned to face the wall behind her, trying her best not to cry. Grabbing her purse from her shoulder, she slung it against the wall in frustration, unable to stop the tears from flowing as she slid to the floor.

Damn it! Why was life so unfair to her? She'd started off the evening in such a good mood. After Michelle's little pep talk, she was sure that she was going to have a great time with her mystery man tonight. But instead, she'd gotten this. Locked in a dingy old storage closet with the very man who had caused all of her heartache in the first place. Her dream date had quickly turned into a nightmare. And it didn't look like it was going to get any better anytime soon.

Even as her cries turned to sobs, Kim cursed herself for being so damn weak. She didn't want Glen to see her crying again. She didn't want him to see what kind of an effect he really had on her. But no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't seem to stifle her tears. Tonight had been the last straw for her fragile nerves and all of the pent-up emotions that she had tried so hard to suppress over the past few months were quickly rushing to the surface in a wave that was threatening to drown her very soul. She needed to get out of here. She needed to get away from the hurt and the pain. And she needed to do it quickly. Otherwise she was going to lose what little bit of sanity she still had left.

The sound of her crying pulled Glen from his task, and he turned to gaze at her in concern, his heart falling at the sight of her sobbing on the floor. He was already feeling guilty for the harsh words he had just spoken to her and seeing her like this was almost more than he could bear. Approaching her quietly, he hesitated for a brief moment before dropping to his knees in front of her. Reaching out, he gathered her in his arms and attempted to pull her into his lap.

At the feel of his hands on her, Kim tried to fight him off, shoving against his chest as she tried to squirm free. But he held onto her tightly, refusing to let her go as she struggled against him, his brute strength winning out over her feeble resistance. Exhausted, she finally gave up trying to fight him, sagging against his chest and letting him rock her in his arms as the sobs racked her small frame.

Resting his cheek against the top of her head, Glen rubbed her back soothingly, murmuring to her softly as she continued to cry. If seeing her again earlier that evening hadn't convinced him of how much he had missed her, then this had surely done the trick. Being so close to her again. Holding her in his arms like this. It made him realize just how much he wanted her. How much he needed her. And after this, he knew he could never just let her walk out of his life. Not now. Not ever. He had to find someway to make her his again. Because he couldn't stand the thought of ever letting her go.

**XXXXXXXXX**

Reclining back on the couch, Michelle picked up the remote and flipped through the channels, propping her feet up on the coffee table as she finally settled on a movie to watch. Glancing at the clock on the wall above her television, she couldn't help but grin.

"So, how do you think the date is going?" she asked as she turned to face her companion.

"Oh, I'd say it's probably going just fine. They probably kissed and made up in the first five minutes and they're probably eating dinner together right now as we speak." Shane replied, grabbing Michelle's hand and giving it a gentle squeeze.

"Are you sure we did the right thing by helping Glen out with this? I mean, if things don't go well tonight and Kim finds out I had something to do with it, she's never going to speak to me again as long as she lives."

"Don't worry my little sidekick. I'm sure everything is fine. Glen will take care of her. He promised you he would, remember?"

"I know. I wouldn't have helped him if I didn't believe him. It's just that Kim's been hurt so much in the past. She's just been so miserable lately. I want to see her laughing and smiling again. I want her to be happy. She deserves to have that much."

"And you think Glen is the one who's going to make her happy?" Shane asked, as he pulled Michelle onto his lap.

Nodding her head, Michelle rested against his shoulder.

"Glen deserves to be happy too." Shane continued, as he hugged her tight. "He's been hurt a lot too, you know…with his ex-wife and all. But I think they will be good for each other. Just give them some time to work out their problems. Hell, maybe they already have. Who knows, they might have skipped dinner altogether and headed straight for the 'desert' tonight."

"Speaking of desert….." Michelle laughed, nibbling at his neck as he squirmed beneath her.

Pulling back, he gazed down at her, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively as a huge grin crossed his face.

"Hmmm. Does my little superheroine-in-training need a little 'Sugar' in her system?" he teased, bending down to return the favor.

"Come to think of it….I am getting a little hungry." Michelle moaned, clutching at his shoulders as he began to feast on her neck.

Shifting his weight, Shane stood from the couch with Michelle still in his arms, smiling down at her as he carried her off to her room.

"Well, I guess I'd better go feed you then. I can't have my trusty sidekick starving to death on me now, can I?" he teased. "You up for a little 'desert' of your own?"

"You know me. Desert is my favorite course." Michelle laughed, tightening her arms around his neck as Shane whisked her away, neither of them giving a second thought to their friends as they lost themselves in their own little world of passion.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

The two of them made such a pitiful sight. Glen curled up on the dirty tile floor of the storage room, with Kim pulled awkwardly in his lap, her tears soaking the front of his shirt as she continued to cry. Glancing toward the door, he felt a sudden sense of relief at the fact that it was locked. If it wasn't for that small inconvenience, she would already be gone from his life. He had no doubt that she had been prepared to walk away without even so much as a second glance. But as it was, fate had come along and given him a little more time with her. He just hoped that he was able to use it to change her mind.

"I'm so sorry, baby. Please don't cry. I didn't mean it." he whispered softly, thinking that his harsh words were the cause of her tears.

Stroking her back soothingly, he rocked her gently in his arms, dipping his head to bury his nose in her hair, breathing in her intoxicating scent as he held her there.

"I'm so sorry. Please forgive me." he repeated, murmuring the words over and over again in an almost trace-like chant.

Finally restoring her emotions to some semblance of normality, Kim's sobs tapered off to a few small whimpers, her breath hitching as she tried to calm herself down. Drifting back to reality, she was completely mortified when she realized exactly where she was sitting.

"You can let me go now." she sniffled, pushing against Glen's massive chest as she tried to free herself from his embrace.

"You're fine right where you are." he replied, his arms tightening around her even more when he felt her trying to get free.

"No I'm not." she argued weakly, struggling again to free herself. "Would you please let me go?"

Shaking his head, he held her even tighter.

"No. I'm not letting you go ever again." he replied, shifting her legs so he could pull her closer against him.

"Damn it Glen! Let me go!" she yelled, moving to quickly smooth down the hem of her dress, which was riding up dangerously high on her thigh.

"No. This is right Kim. You belong here with me. Why can't you see that?" he argued, as he rested his chin on top of her head.

Sighing in exasperation, she sagged against him. She was so damn tired of fighting with him. Why the hell wouldn't he just give up?

"I'll do whatever it takes to keep you here. Anything you want. Just name it and it's as good as done. Let me prove to you how serious I am about this. Just tell me what I have to do to make things right again."

Closing her eyes, she let herself be lulled by the sound of his voice, her mind racing as she contemplated his words. He sounded serious enough. Was it possible that he really wanted to be with her? That there was actually more to this whole situation than she had originally thought?

Frowning, Kim tried to stifle the emotions that her thoughts provoked. Even if it WAS what he wanted, would it ever be possible for them to have a future together? Could she actually find it in her heart to forgive him for what he had done to her?

Well, one thing was for sure, if she was going to give him another shot, she wasn't going to let herself fall so quickly this time. She would make absolutely certain that she maintained her control. If he really wanted to be with her, then she was definitely going to make him earn her trust. And if he was simply out to play more games, then she'd make damn sure she beat him at that too. She wasn't going to let him make a fool of her again.

Sitting upright in his lap, she wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her coat, frowning when she saw the black streaks left by her mascara, which she was pretty sure was everywhere but her eyes at this point. Sniffling again, she used the same sleeve to rub her nose, then grew quiet as she dropped her hands back in her lap.

Still keeping a firm hold on her, Glen couldn't help but smile. Her actions reminded him of something a small child would do. Studying her face, he couldn't help but reach out and gently tuck a few stray pieces of her hair behind her ear. When she didn't move, he hooked a finger under her chin and turned her face to his.

"Tell me what you want me to do Kim. Anything….anything at all. Just let me know what it is." he repeated, using his thumb to wipe away a couple of stray tears that were still dotting her cheek.

"So, you're trying to bribe me now? Is that it?" she asked, still a little annoyed by his persistence.

"No. That's not it at all." he replied, quickly clarifying his offer. "I don't think that you're gullible enough to let yourself be bribed. I just want you to know that I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make things up to you."

"So….you're saying that if I was gullible enough….you would try to bribe me?" she asked, biting back a grin at the flustered sound he made. She knew exactly what he meant, but that didn't mean she couldn't have a little fun with him first.

"NO! That's not what I meant either! I just…I know you're not dumb enough to fall for something like that…."

"So now I'm dumb. Gee Glen, you certainly have a way of working yourself into someone's good graces."

"I didn't mean for it to sound like that! I don't think you're gullible or dumb. I think you're beautiful and talented and I think that you're way too smart to fall for something like that."

"Flattery will get you nowhere….." she murmured, the corners of her mouth twitching as she continued to bait him.

"Then what will?" he asked, tilting her chin up so she faced him again. "Tell me what I have to do. Tell me what you want."

Searching his eyes, she felt the last of her resolve crumbling. There was no deceit visible there, only need and desire reflecting back at her from those deep blue pools. The intensity of it was enough to scare the hell out of her and she wondered for a brief moment what she was getting herself into.

"Say something, please. Tell me what you're thinking." he murmured, his fingers trailing softly down her cheek.

Closing her eyes, Kim struggled to pull herself together.

"I don't know what to think, Glen. This has all been so unexpected." She paused for a moment, gathering her thoughts. "I've spent every day for the past four months convincing myself that I would never see you again. That I meant nothing to you. And then tonight, you show up here, with all of these revelations, and I feel like the rug has been pulled out from under me all over again."

Glen nodded sympathetically, as he mulled over her words.

"I know this has to be a big shock for you. And I know I should have handled things differently. This isn't the right place to discuss this. I don't know what I was thinking. I'm sorry."

"You're right. This isn't the right place to discuss this." she agreed. "And you're lucky you didn't surprise me in the dining room earlier. I would've had plenty of sharp objects at my disposal then."

Glen chuckled softly. "I really didn't think this through, did I?"

She shook her head, a slight smirk momentarily gracing her face before disappearing in a frown. How could she even be contemplating this? Was she really willing to risk her heart just for another opportunity with this man?

"So does this mean that you'll at least consider giving me a second chance?" Glen stated, pulling her from her thoughts, his arms tightening hopefully around her, hugging her to his chest.

Sighing, she struggled out of his crushing embrace and pulled back so she was facing him.

"Glen, I don't know..."

The sound of a loud thump on the door interrupted them, causing Kim to jump, and moments later, the couple found themselves staring at the wide space of an open doorway where the door had been only seconds earlier. Apparently, someone had taken this most inopportune of moments to come along and finally let them out.

Glancing at each other in confusion, they simultaneously gave a shrug of their shoulders, thankful that at least they had been set free. But their relief was short-lived, however, when they glanced back toward the door and found themselves staring up at two armed police officers, who had their weapons drawn and aimed directly at Glen's head.


	23. Chapter 23

**Thanks again for all the reviews! I really do appreciate every single one of them! **

**Chapter 23 **

Still huddled together on the floor of the storage room, Kim and Glen stared in confusion at the two police officers who were now standing in the open doorway, as they tried to comprehend the sudden turn of events.

"Release the girl and put your hands where I can see them!" one of the officers commanded, approaching Glen carefully while keeping his gun aimed on him.

Too shocked to protest, Glen raised his hands above his head, his eyes traveling back to Kim as she scrambled off of his lap. She watched in surprise as the second officer stepped forward and placed a set of handcuffs on Glen's wrists, securing them behind his back.

"What in the hell is going on here? Do you mind telling me what this is about?" Glen yelled, agitated by the fact that he was being treated like a common criminal.

"We got a call from someone here in the building who reported a domestic dispute. We're just taking a few extra precautions until we figure out exactly what's going on." the second officer replied, as he checked to make sure the cuffs were secure.

"Are you alright, ma'am?" the first office asked, turning his attention to Kim. "Did he hurt you at all?"

Still stunned, Kim could only look at him with a blank expression on her face. Then her gaze wandered back to Glen, and the mixture of panic and disbelief she saw on his face was enough to bring her back to her senses.

"No. He didn't hurt me. He would never hurt…me." she replied, her eyes meeting Glen's as she spoke.

"Not like that anyway." she added when she realized what she had said. The hopeful smile which had suddenly appeared on Glen's face at her first statement quickly disappeared.

"Someone reported that a rather large man had taken a young lady hostage and was holding her captive in one of the storage rooms. They said they could hear loud voices coming from behind the door and that the woman was screaming for someone to let her out. So, does somebody in this room care to tell me what that was all about?" the second officer asked, his gaze wandering accusingly between the two guilty parties.

Completely embarrassed by the fact the police had been called on them, Kim hung her head in shame, listening quietly as Glen tried to explain his way out of his restraints. What a night this had turned out to be! Not only had she been deceived by her dinner date, humiliated in front of his friends and locked in a storage closet, but now she was on the verge of being arrested! She couldn't help but wonder what else was going to go wrong before the night was over with.

And to think that she had actually let Michelle talk her into coming tonight!

Live a little, she said.

Take a few chances every now and then, she said.

Well, this would certainly be the last time she ever listened to any advice from her. Michelle wasn't the one who inspired a full-blown disaster every time she stepped outside her doorway. As far as she was concerned, she'd experienced enough in one evening to last her a life time. To hell with taking chances! She swore the minute she got home, she was going to lock herself in her apartment and never come out again!

It took several minutes and a strong persuasive effort on Glen's part, but the couple finally managed to convince the two officers that they had simply been having a lover's quarrel and that no harm had come to either of them during their lively 'discussion'. A few apologies and a couple of autographs later, the officers prepared to leave, but not without giving them strict orders to vacate the property immediately. Somehow, Glen managed to persuade the officers to give the two of them a few extra minutes alone, which they did, reluctantly leaving Kim and Glen to themselves once more.

Once they were gone, Kim gave a tired sigh as she reached down and picked her purse off of the floor, draping it over her shoulder as she turned toward the open doorway.

"Where are you going?" Glen asked as he reached out and gently caught her hand in his.

"I'm going home." she murmured, as she tried to pull her hand free from his grip. "I think I've had enough excitement for one night."

"Home? But you can't leave yet. We haven't even had our date." he stated softly, gently pulling her back to him.

Frowning, Kim let her gaze wander down her body, taking in the appearance of her black dress, that was now streaked with the chalky white dust from the floor, trying to picture the way her once-flawless make-up had to look after all of the tears she had cried. She could only imagine what an ungodly picture she presented at the moment. There was no way in hell she was actually going to eat out anywhere looking the way she looked now.

"I don't think either of us is in any shape to have dinner tonight Glen." she stated, noticing that his dark clothes were in no better condition. "Not after we've been rolling around in a dirty storage room for the past thirty minutes."

Glancing downward, Glen frowned as he tried to brush some of the dust off of his black pants.

"Oh come on Kim. A little bit of dirt won't hurt us. Besides, I'm starving. And I know you have to be hungry too. Just agree to have dinner with me, please. I promise I'll take you home as soon as we're done."

Trying again to free her hand, Kim shook her head.

"Really, Glen. I just don't feel up to going out tonight. It's been a stressful evening and I'd rather just go someplace quiet and relax. Maybe some other time."

"Someplace quiet, huh? If I could find someplace like that for us to go, would you agree to have dinner with me?" he asked, raising his eyebrows as a mischievous grin crossed his face.

"Glen, I don't think tonight is a good time….."

"Please?" he pouted, playfully sticking out his bottom lip as he gazed down at her.

Biting back a smile, Kim shook her head again. Didn't this man ever give up?

"Okay. Fine. If you can find someplace quiet for us to go, I'll have dinner with you." she replied, unable to suppress her smile any longer when she saw the look that crossed his face. He looked as if he were a kid that had just been turned loose in a candy store.

"Well, lucky for me, I think I know just the place. You wait right here and let me make a couple of phone calls and I'll see what I can do." he stated, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze before he left the room.

Staring at the empty doorway, Kim ran through the night's previous events in her mind, recalling the earlier promise she had made to herself. She still wasn't completely sure if she could ever forgive Glen for his past mistakes, or if she even wanted to forgive him. She realized she would be taking a big chance by trusting him again. What would happen between them after tonight was still an uncertainty, but no matter which path she decided to travel, there was one thing that WOULD remain certain. This time, she was going to be in control. This time she was going to make the rules. And if Glen didn't like doing things her way, then he could very well find himself another field to play on. She wasn't going to let herself be taken down again.

"Ready to go?" Glen asked as he poked his head through the doorway, startling Kim from her thoughts.

Hesitating for a moment, she nodded her head and shuffled across the floor toward him.

"Where are we going?" she asked, as he took her hand and led her back down the hallway.

"Some place quiet and relaxing. Just like you wanted. I found the perfect place for us to be alone." he replied, as he guided her past the frowning faces of the hostess and the manager and out the front door of the lobby onto the street.

"Where is it?"

"Well, I could tell you. But then, I'd ruin the surprise. So you're just going to have to come with me and find out for yourself." he stated with a smile, grasping her small hand tightly in his own as they started off down the sidewalk.

"Shouldn't we drive? i mean, my car is back there."

Glen shook his head. "It's not far. We can walk. We'll come back and get your car in a little while."

She hesitated, eying him suspiciously.

"I promise Kim. I'll bring you right back as soon as you want me to. All you have to do is say the word." he replied, a twinge of sadness twisting through him at the idea of her leaving him again.

Finally giving in, Kim let him lead her further down the street, as she tried to ignore the stares of the few people they passed along with way. She walked slowly, with her head down, hoping that none of them could see just what a mess she really was. Strolling along beside of her at a leisurely pace of his own, Glen was oblivious to any attention they might have drawn to themselves. He took his time, wanting to savor every second that he spent with her, hoping to prolong the evening for as long as he could. The slower he walked, the more time he would have. And the more time he had, the better the chance that he could make things right between them again.

Walking for a little while longer, Glen finally pulled Kim off to the side and paused underneath the awning of an old building.

"Okay, we're almost there. But, before we go any further, there's one thing I want you to do." he stated flashing her another mischievous grin.

"And what would that be?" she replied curiously, watching as he stuck his hand in his pocket and pulled out a piece of cloth.

"I want you to put this on."

Taking the cloth from his hand, Kim unrolled it and held it up, glancing back up at Glen in confusion when she saw what it was.

"A napkin? You stole a napkin from the restaurant?"

Glen shrugged his shoulders.

"It serves them right after they called the police on us. Besides, they'll never miss it. Now, put it on."

"Put it on? Do you mind telling me exactly WHERE I'm supposed to put it?" she replied, holding it up against her waist.

"Well, I'm sure that would make a very enticing picture, but that's not what I had in mind." he chuckled as he took the napkin from her and folded it in two.

"Turn around." he instructed gently, placing the cloth over her eyes and securing it at the back of her head.

"Glen, what are you doing?" she asked, reaching out blindly for something to hold on to as her sight vanished.

He took her hand in his again, his other arm easing around her waist as they resumed their journey.

"I told you it was a surprise. And I can't very well surprise you, if you can see it, now can I?"

Trying hard not to think about how he was holding her close against him, Kim didn't protest as he led her further down the sidewalk, her hand gripping his tightly for fear that she would trip and fall. But Glen was extremely cautious and he managed to delivery them both to their destination safely, the smile on his face widening when the big building finally came into view.

Carefully leading Kim through the front doors, he maneuvered her toward the elevators, pulling her inside one of the empty cars before selecting the floor.

"I thought you said we were going some place private?" Kim asked, aware of the fact that she was in a moving elevator.

"Just be patient, baby. We're almost there." Glen chuckled softly, his arm going around her waist once more when the car stopped moving and the doors opened.

Guiding her down the hallway a few more feet, he finally stopped in front of a door and pulled the keys from his pocket. Unlocking it and pushing it open, he stepped behind Kim and gently urged her inside. Then reaching for the knot at the back of her head, he slowly removed the blindfold.

"Surprise," he stated softly, leaning down to whisper in her ear.

Letting her gaze travel around the room as she took in her surroundings, Kim was completely stunned by what she saw.

"Where are we?" she murmured, her eyes darting around the room as she tried to take everything in.

Smiling, Glen bent over her again as he chuckled softly.

"My room….."


	24. Chapter 24

**Sorry for the delay in updating. I've been kind of in a funk lately and haven't been much in the writing mood. :( **

**As always, thanks for the reviews and adds!**

**Chapter 24**

"Your…..room?" Kim gasped, immediately taking a step backwards into the hallway.

"Yeah, my room. It's the perfect place for us to be alone. It's quiet. It's secluded. Nobody else will even know we're here. We can have a nice relaxing dinner alone. Just the two of us. That's what you wanted, wasn't it?" Glen asked, taking note of her sudden change in mood.

"No…I mean, it was…but….I can't….I don't….this isn't….Oh God…"she murmured, unable to pull her eyes away from the bed in the corner of the room.

Her mind was suddenly filled with images from the first night they had shared together so long ago and she realized with a growing sense of horror that the control she had been so intent on keeping this time around was already starting to erode.

"Kim, are you alright? You look a little…pale...all of a sudden." he asked as he placed a hand on her shoulder, frowning when she quickly pulled away from him.

"I…I'm….no….I'm not alright." she stated, as she turned to look at him. "I'm sorry Glen, but I can't do this. I should have never come here with you. It was a mistake. I'm sorry."

She turned to head back toward the elevator before he reached out and gently caught her by the arm.

"Kim, wait. What's wrong? Where are you going?" he asked, turning her back around to face him.

"I thought you wanted to make things right, Glen. I thought things were going to be different this time." she sighed, realizing that she had apparently been made a fool of yet again. He wasn't concerned with trying to make things up to her. In fact, he'd just confirmed all of her doubts about his sincerity. It was obvious from his actions that there was only one thing he was after. And she was determined, now more than ever, that he wasn't going to get it.

"What are you talking about Kim? Of course I want to make things up to you. I thought I'd made that more than clear."

"Then why are we here, Glen? Why in the hell did you bring me here?" she yelled, pointing toward the open doorway of the room.

His eyes roamed over her face before casting a confused glance in the direction of his room.

"What on earth are you talking about, Kim? I brought you here so we could spend a nice, relaxing evening alone. I thought that's what you wanted, so why is this suddenly a problem?"

"You just don't get it, do you?" she huffed, placing her hands on her hips. "This is how this whole mess started and I'm not going to fall for it again!"

Without waiting for his reply, she stormed off toward the elevators, leaving a completely stunned Glen to stare after her. Realizing that she was on the verge of walking out on him again, he quickly rushed after her, catching up to her before she could step inside.

"Kim, wait a minute…please." he pleaded, reaching out to grab her around the waist. She quickly spun around to face him.

"Glen Jacobs, don't you even think about tossing me over your shoulder again, or I swear to God I'll find someway to kick your ass before the night is over with!" she yelled as she squirmed out of his embrace.

"Would you just listen to me…."

"Get your hands off of me!" she argued, slapping his hands away when he reached for her. "I'm not going to let you do this to me again!"

"Damn it Kim! Would you please just listen to me for a minute!" he yelled, grabbing her face in his hands and forcing her to meet his gaze.

"I did not bring you here to try and take advantage of you!" he stated, taking a deep breath to calm himself when he realized he was still yelling.

Covering his hands with her own, Kim tried to pry them from her face, squirming in his grasp as he shook her gently.

"Listen to me!" he growled, directing her attention back to his face, his voice softening as he gazed down at her. "The only reason I brought you back here was to have dinner with you. Nothing is going to happen in that room that you don't want to happen, okay. What happened between us that first night should have never happened. Not the way it did. I was wrong and I apologize for that. I'm not going to make the same mistake by rushing into this again. We have all the time in the world to spend together. We're going to take this thing one day at a time and see what happens. And if somewhere down the road, we decide to take things that far, we'll deal with it then. But not tonight. I wouldn't dream of hurting you like that again."

Closing her eyes as she tried to get her emotions under control, Kim tried to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall. Hadn't she cried enough for one night?

Letting her gaze wander past him to the open doorway of his room, she felt her resolve crumble even further. The fact was, she wasn't as concerned with his intentions as much as she was concerned about her own weaknesses. Just being near him, feeling his hands on her again, made her longing for him that much stronger. She knew without a shadow of a doubt that she'd never be able to resist him if he were to make a move on her tonight. Releasing an unsteady breath, she lowered her eyes to the floor.

"I don't think I can do this Glen. I just…..I can't….." she murmured, trying again to free herself from his grip.

"You can't do what? Have dinner with me? Why? What's the problem?" he asked,

"All of this is the problem! Having dinner with you. Forgiving you. Trusting you again. I just don't know if I can do this!"

Frowning down at her, he gently pulled her into his arms and Kim buried her face in his chest, not offering an ounce of protest for the first time that night.

"Please don't cry. I told you we'll take this one day at a time." he murmured as he stroked her back. "Don't think about all of that now. All I'm asking for right now is dinner. That's it. We'll deal with everything else as it comes along."

"I'm so confused. I don't know what to think anymore." she murmured, wishing that she could simply silence all of the horrible thoughts that had been plaguing her since this night had begun.

"I know. I'm still a little confused about all of this myself, but I promise you, things are going to be alright. We're both going to be okay."

Slipping an arm around her waist, he pulled her tightly to his side.

"Come with me and let's get you something to eat, okay? We can talk about this later." he stated softly as he guided her back down the hallway toward his room.

Leaning her head against his side, Kim let him lead her down the corridor and into his room, too exhausted to argue with him anymore. Although she was still unsure of what to expect from him, she'd resigned to simply giving everything over to the hands of fate and hoping that things would turn out for the best.

Closing the door behind them as they entered the room, he glanced down at her lovingly, pulling her closer against him as he said a silent prayer, hoping that things would eventually get better between them before the night was through.

Inside the room, Kim pulled herself from his side as she took in her surroundings. Small white candles lined the tops of every visible flat surface she could see, bathing the entire space in a beautiful soft glow, including the small table that had been set up in the center of the room. Taking a closer look, she could see that the table had been set for two, using what looked to be some of the finest china and crystal that she had ever seen, with a beautiful bouquet of white roses centered in between for an added touch. Moving closer, she cautiously reached out and traced her finger across the smooth surface of the tablecloth, enjoying the feel of the silky material against her skin.

"Do you like it?" he asked, startling her.

"It's beautiful. But….when did you have time to do all of this?"

"I had a lot of help." he confessed, smiling down at her as he reached out and gently removed a few stray tears from her face with his thumb. "It just so happens that the two young guys working the front desk are big fans of mine. I talked to them for a little while when I checked in last night and gave them a couple of autographs. So when I called them earlier and asked them if they could help me out, they were more than happy to do it."

"Oh. Well, that was very nice of them to help you."

As an uneasy silence fell across the room, Glen racked his brain for something else to say, not wanting to lose the peaceful mood that had seemed to settle over them. Struggling to remember every romantic line he had ever heard before in his life, the best he could come up with was….

"Let me take you coat."

_Did I really just say that?_ he thought to himself, groaning in embarrassment as he helped her slip it off her shoulders.

However, his regret was short-lived as the material came away from her body, revealing the silky black dress she was wearing underneath. The small spaghetti straps left her smooth shoulders and graceful neck bared for him to see, the short hem giving him a tantalizing view of the legs that were hidden underneath. Glen suddenly found himself fighting back the lump that had formed in his throat, wanting more than anything to simply pull her into his arms again and never let her go.

Somehow managing to maintain his control, he laid her coat carefully across the edge of the bed, taking a little more time that was necessary to straighten it as he tried to think of something more intelligent to say. Clearing his throat, he finally turned back to her, every single nerve on edge and he immediately found himself staring at her again. She flashed him a nervous grin, which brought him back to earth, and he quickly diverted his gaze to the bucket on the dresser behind her.

"Hey, look at this. They even sent us some champagne. Would you like a glass?" he asked, thankful for the distraction as he moved past her and picked up the bottle.

Removing the cork stopper, he carefully poured them each a drink, smiling as he handed one of the glasses to Kim.

Taking it from him, she hesitated for only a moment before she brought it to her lips and emptied it in one large gulp. Alcohol. Just the thing she needed to help soothe her frazzled nerves. Handing it back to him, she met his gaze as he poured her another glass.

"Careful now. I don't want you getting sick on me tonight." he stated with a smile, winking at her as he took a drink from his own glass.

Kim nodded but remained silent as she turned her attention back to the room. She had to admit that she was more than a little surprised that he'd gone to such great lengths to impress her. The room looked incredible, although it certainly seemed to be overdone for their "it's only dinner" evening. Casting a sideways glance, Kim eyed him suspiciously, wondering just what exactly he had planned for the night.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm starving." he stated, interrupting her thoughts as he handed her a menu. "Here. Take a look at this and let me know what you want and I'll place the order."

Taking the menu, Kim quickly scanned through it, shrugging her shoulders as she flipped it over.

"I'm not really that hungry. I'll just take a salad or something."

"You'll do no such thing." he replied in a stern tone. "I don't want to see you starving yourself around me. I'm sure you can eat more than just a salad. What about this...they have a steak and lobster special. That sounds good to me. How about one of those to go with your salad?"

"Fine. Whatever you want to order, Glen." she replied, knowing it wouldn't do any good to argue with him. She'd already seen how stubborn he could be when he wanted something to go his way.

"Alright then. Steak and lobster it is. How would you like your steak?" he asked as he picked up the phone.

"Medium." she replied, her eyes coming to rest on the doorway of the bathroom in the corner.

Looking down at herself, she realized she could probably stand to make good use of it for a moment or two. If he was going to go through this much trouble to feed her, the least she could do was make herself a little more presentable.

"Do you mind?" she asked, pointing toward the open door, as she sat her glass down on the table.

"No. Help yourself to anything you need." he stated, motioning for her to go ahead as he dialed the front desk.

Entering the small room, Kim closed the door behind her and flipped on the light, frowning when she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. God she looked horrible! How could he even stand to look at her right now?

Grabbing one of the washcloths from beside the sink, Kim soaked it in warm water, then used it to wash her face, removing the black streaks of mascara left behind by all of her tears. Tossing the rag to the side, she then turned her attention to her hair, smoothing a few of the unruly tendrils back into place as she studied her reflection.

"What ARE you doing?" she murmured to herself, wondering why on earth she had let herself be talked into coming back to this place with him. It was definitely not the best situation for her to be in at the moment. She was alone, in a hotel room, with the one man who had haunted her dreams every night since the first time she had ever laid eyes on him. The man that at one time, she would have done anything for. The man, that after all of this time, she still wanted more than life itself.

Her eyes widening at her own confession, Kim frowned at herself again.

So, there it was. The truth had finally come out. Although it made her feel weak and pathetic to admit it, she realized she couldn't deny it any longer. After everything that had happened, everything that he had done, she still wanted him in a way she couldn't explain. The man had a hold on her that she had never been able to break, and she was beginning to think that she never would.

Enlightened by her new discoveries and deserted by what little resistance she had left, she couldn't help but wonder if she would be able to make it through the evening without giving in to her desire completely. Risking a glance at the closed door of the bathroom and picturing the large man who was waiting for her on the other side, Kim found herself suddenly terrified at the prospect of what the night could bring. She just hoped that she could be strong enough to resist whatever temptations that might be thrown her way.


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

Run.

Hide.

Disappear.

Common sense told her that was exactly what she should do, but Kim found her body either unable or unwilling to comply with the simple commands that her mind was sending her way. Her feet felt rooted to the spot where she currently stood and she was beginning to wonder if her legs would even support her long enough to carry her back into the bedroom where Glen was waiting for her. But her failure to move really made no difference. She knew that hiding wasn't an option anyway. Even if she found the courage to try to leave, she knew that Glen would never let her anywhere near the door. He'd fought too hard to get her here tonight. There was no way he was going to let her go running off again until he'd had his fill of her.

Kim shuddered involuntarily at the image her thoughts evoked. She couldn't deny that it wasn't an entirely unpleasant thought, but even so, it scared the hell out of her. She felt so weak and vulnerable, knowing she was basically at his mercy. And what frightened her even more was the fact that she didn't know just what it was he expected from her.

Oh sure, he'd already told her that it was only dinner. That he wanted to take things slowly this time. That he wanted to get to know her first. But the look in his eyes told her something entirely different, his actions belying the fact that he wanted it to be much, much more. It was plain to see just how much he wanted from her, but at the moment, it was more than she had to give. She just hoped that he would continue to be patient with her as the night wore on.

Realizing that she couldn't stay hidden away in the bathroom for the remainder of the night, Kim made a few nervous adjustments to her hair, then took a couple of deep breaths before she finally found the courage to open the bathroom door and step outside. Looking in the direction where she had last seen Glen, she was surprised to find him still on the phone.

Standing there nervously as she waited for him to finish his conversation, she let her gaze wander around the room once more, this time spotting another door near the opposite corner of the room. Staring at it curiously for a moment, Kim cast another glance in Glen's direction before heading across the room toward it. Taking a closer look, she realized that it was the door to the balcony, and she quickly unlocked it and pulled it open, stepping outside into the cool night air as she closed it behind her.

Shivering a little as the cool air hit her skin, she wrapped her arms around herself, deflecting the breeze that was gently blowing around her. Taking a moment to examine the soundness of the flooring beneath her, Kim cautiously eased herself up to the black metal railing, her breath catching in her throat as she stared out over the large city beneath her. As incredible as it seemed, she realized that as long as she had lived here, she had never experienced the city at night. At least, not from this vantage point. The view was absolutely breathtaking. There were so many lights, as far away as she could see, and when contrasted with the dark blanket of nightfall that had fallen over the city, she felt as if she were staring down into a sea of stars.

Shaking her head in awe, she couldn't believe this had been there under her nose all this time and that she had failed to notice it before tonight. And to think she had always considered the city to be a dreadful place to live, certainly nothing like the peaceful country home that she had loved growing up. But now, she was starting to see things in a whole new light. She could get used to this, she realized. Perhaps change was not always a bad thing. After all, things were often not what they first appeared to be.

_Ain't that the truth_, she murmured to herself, letting her thoughts once again drift back to Glen.

How sweet and charming had he appeared to be in the beginning? Then this whole mess had happened. And now? Now, she just didn't know. Confused didn't even begin to describe her feelings. And as badly as she wanted to forgive him and start all over, she was equally terrified of being hurt again. Either way, she realized she had a lot to lose if she made the wrong decision. But she just didn't know if she trusted her own judgment enough to make the right one.

Follow her head or follow her heart?

At the moment, she just wasn't sure which way to go.

"Enjoying the view?"

Clutching her chest, Kim gasped as she spun around, only to find Glen staring down at her, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

"Jesus, Glen! Would you please stop sneaking up on me like that? If you'd made me jump any higher, you would've had to do a nosedive over the railing to catch me!"

"Sorry. I thought you heard me open the door." he chuckled, moving to stand beside of her. "But don't worry sweetheart. I would've caught you."

Blushing furiously at his term of endearment, Kim turned her attention back to the darkness in front of her.

"Did you order our dinner?" she asked, quickly changing the subject.

"Yep. It's all taken care of. They said they would have it ready for us as soon as possible."

"That's good." she murmured, then grew quiet as her thoughts consumed her once more.

Gazing down at her, Glen also remained silent, watching quietly as the different emotions played across her face. He could see how hard this was for her. How difficult this night had been so far. This was certainly not what he had intended when he had arranged to meet with her. But he vowed that someway, somehow, he would find a way to make it up to her. Right now, the only thing that mattered to him was her happiness. He wanted to show her just how committed he was to making things right with her. Making a silent promise, he swore to himself that he would do everything in his power to make sure that the rest of the evening went as smoothly as possible.

"It's certainly a beautiful view from up here, isn't it?" Kim asked mainly to herself, blushing when she realized she'd spoken the words out loud.

"It certainly is." Glen agreed, his eyes never leaving her face as he answered her.

Tilting her head to stare up at him, Kim felt her skin growing even warmer when she saw the way he was gazing at her. Quickly turning her attention back to the city, she focused on the lights beneath her as she tried to slow her racing heart.

"What do you think that is?" she asked nervously, pointing to a cluster of blue lights that were visible way off toward the horizon.

Smiling, Glen cleared his throat as he stared down at her.

"Kim."

"Or that one over there? What do you think that one is?" she continued, pointing in a different direction as she tried to ignore him.

"Kim."

"There are just so many of them. I can't keep them all straight. And they're all so beautiful. I don't know how anyone could not enjoy this view. Which direction did we come from earlier…..?" she chattered, wringing her hands as Glen moved closer to her.

"Kim."

"I just never realized how big this city is before. With all of those lights down there, it just seems to go on forever. I know it seems strange that I've never noticed it before, since I live here and all, but…."

"Kim!"

Jumping at the sound of his voice, Kim grew quiet but refused to look at him.

"Kim." Glen repeated in a softer tone, biting back a smile as he watched her. He honestly didn't mean to frighten her, but he couldn't help but be amused by her reactions to him.

"What?" she finally whispered, her voice failing her as she felt him move toward her.

Closing her eyes as she tried to regain her composure, she never saw him lean in towards her and she jumped when she felt his breath against her ear.

"You don't have to be afraid of me Kim. I already told you, nothing will happen tonight that you don't want. You're completely safe with me." he murmured softly and she felt her knees buckle as she grabbed for the railing.

_But I do want it_, she thought, mentally slapping herself when she realized where her mind was headed.

_No, no no! Control. I have…to keep…myself…under…control_, she muttered under her breath, her cheeks flooding with embarrassment.

Damn that man! Couldn't he see what he was doing to her? If he kept this up for very long, he'd have her in bed in record breaking time.

Concerned by her sudden silence, Glen hooked a finger under her chin and forced her to look up at him.

"I…I'm…not afraid…of you." she stammered, cursing herself for being such an awful liar. It was obvious that he could see right through her.

"Oh, really. Now why do I suddenly get the feeling that you're not being completely honest with me?" he teased as his eyes traveled over her face.

"I'm not lying. I'm…I'm not afraid of you." she repeated with slightly more confidence, frowning when she saw his lips curve into a smile.

"Well then, if you're not afraid of me, then you won't mind if I do this." he replied, cupping her face in his hands and stroking her face gently with his thumbs.

Watching as his gaze dropped to her lips, Kim's heart began to pound when she realized what he was about to do. Unable to find the strength to push him away, she closed her eyes and resigned herself to her fate, waiting helplessly for what was about to happen next.

Gazing across her face, Glen could only smile as his eyes focused on her mouth, his tongue darting out to lick at his own lips as he tried to calm the fire that was raging within him. She provided such a tempting picture for him at the moment. Her chest heaving with each labored breath. Her eyes squeezed tightly shut. Her lips parted slightly in anticipation of his actions. He could already feel the promises that he'd made to her….that he'd made to himself….slowing slipping to the back of his mind as the desire began to take over. Here he was, in her presence for barely over an hour, and he was already on the verge of breaking them all completely.

But then again, this was only a kiss. Nothing more. Nothing less. Just one small, simple, pleasant little kiss.

Surely that wouldn't hurt anything.

Would it?

Stroking his thumbs over the soft curve of her cheekbones as he studied her face, Glen silently chuckled to himself.

Nope, he didn't think it would hurt one little bit.

Lowering his head, he readied himself to taste her, already imaging how good she would feel against his lips. Feeling her breath against his face, he closed his own eyes, eager to fulfill the fantasy that he had dreamed of for so long. But even as he moved toward her, that annoying presence in the back of his mind continued to plague him, his conscience knocking at his brain, warning him that he was simply moving too fast yet again.

Knocking?

Glen frowned as he stood upright and glanced over his shoulder. Peering into the room through the open balcony door, he realized that the sound he had heard wasn't his well-mannered inner self warning him to behave, but rather some poor, unintelligent soul who had dared to be brave enough to interrupt their quiet evening together. Letting a low growl of annoyance escape from the back of his throat, Glen glanced back down at Kim, running his fingers over her face once more before reluctantly releasing his hold on her.

"There's someone at the door." he mumbled when he saw the confusion in her eyes, slipping an arm around her waist and pulling her with him as he stepped back inside the room.

Carefully locking the door behind them, Glen glanced at Kim reassuringly before heading toward the door on the opposite side of the room, where the pounding still continued. Glancing at his watch, he wondered how the guys in the kitchen had managed to prepare their dinner so quickly, thinking that he would definitely have to leave them a generous tip for all of their hard work.

"Boy, you guys sure don't waste any…."

Glen's voice trailed off when he opened the door and saw who was standing on the other side.

"Hey buddy! Whatcha' doin'?" Chris asked cheerily, standing on his tiptoes as he tried to peer over the big man's shoulders into the room behind him.

"What in the hell are you doing here?" Glen growled, his eyes nearly turning red with anger as he glared down at his friend.

"Uh….I was just in the neighborhood and I thought I'd drop by. You know…just to see if you wanted any…um…company or anything…." Chris replied, dipping his head in an attempt to see around Glen's hulking form.

Watching as Glen stepped outside the room and closed the door behind him, Chris jumped backwards and molded himself into the opposite wall, trying to make himself as tiny as possible as his friend hovered over him.

"If you value your life, you will take your obnoxious, scraggly-haired, off-key singing, Canadian ass and get out of my sight now, or I swear on everything that is holy that I WILL hurt you!"

"Okay! Okay! Geez, I just wanted to see how things were going in there! I thought you might need some advice or something. After all, I am Chris Jericho, the King….."

"NOW!" Glen roared, when Chris didn't move fast enough to please him, smiling inwardly as the smaller man broke into a run and disappeared around the corner. Muttering to himself, he took a few deep breaths to regain his composure before he stepped back inside the room.

Opening the door, it took only one glance to realize that Kim had apparently heard his outburst from the hall. Her wide eyes and confused expression made him curse his impatience.

"I'm sorry Kim." he stated softly, as he moved across the floor toward her. "I didn't mean…."

Another knock sounded on the door behind him and Glen let his voice trail off, his fists clenching as he closed his eyes. Spinning around on his heels, he stalked toward the door, already visualizing the headlines that would be in the morning paper when someone finally came along and found the body…

"WHAT!" he yelled as he quickly jerked the door open, watching as the man on the other side stumbled backwards, landing flat on his ass on the floor in his attempt to get away.

"Oh my God! I'm so sorry!" Glen murmured, his face turning red with embarrassment when he realized he'd probably just knocked about ten years off the life span of their waiter who had so carefully prepared their food and delivered it to their door.

Rushing toward the fallen man, Glen grabbed his arm and helped him back to his feet, dusting off the gentleman's jacket in a feeble attempt to make good on his mistake.

"I'm so sorry. I thought you were someone else." Glen murmured apologetically, frowning as the man stepped backwards out of his reach.

"But I imagine that kind of stuff happens to you all the time around here, huh?" Glen chuckled nervously, trying to break the mood.

"Actually…no." The waiter replied, only half-jokingly, keeping his eye on Glen as he straightened the tablecloth on the cart in front of him. "Thank goodness for that! At my age, I don't think my heart could take very many of those….surprises."

Glen chuckled politely at the waiter's weak attempt at humor, trailing off suddenly when he noticed that the man wasn't smiling. Clearing his throat nervously, he stepped to the side and motioned for him to enter the room.

As the waiter arranged everything for them on the table, Glen cast another glance in Kim's direction, taking note that she appeared to be deep in thought. Mentally kicking himself yet again, he hoped that he hadn't done any irreparable harm to their already fragile relationship. He was prepared to do whatever he needed to in order to win her trust again, but he couldn't help but wonder if there was anything that was going to go the way it was supposed to tonight. So far, things had definitely gotten off to a rocky start.

Turning his gaze back to the table, Glen could see that the waiter was finished with his task and was standing impatiently in front of him, his eyes darting about the room as he planned a quick escape, just in case in needed to get out of there in a hurry.

Digging into his wallet, Glen pulled out a stack of bills and handed them to the other man, giving him a reassuring smile as he did so. He'd never considered himself to be what others might call a generous tipper, but tonight he was willing to make an exception. If his bribe was accepted and it kept the police or anybody else for that matter away from his door, than he was more than happy to pay the price.

"Again, I am so sorry for the misunderstanding. I hope you will forgive me." Glen stated.

Taking the money from his hand and stuffing it in his pocket, the other man managed a feeble smile.

"Of course. No problem, sir."

Then rushing past Glen, he disappeared out the door, obviously relieved to be away from this giant of a man who had nearly assaulted him.

Closing the door behind him, Glen turned his attention back to Kim, thankful that they were finally alone again. Taking a deep breath as he headed toward the table, he prayed that something would finally go right for a change and that the next few hours would be much more pleasant than the evening's beginning.


	26. Chapter 26

**Thanks to everyone for the wonderful reviews. I apologize for being so slow in updating, but I hope this chapter will keep you happy for a few days! :)**

**Chapter 26**

Kim sat back in her chair and closed her eyes, running a hand over her full stomach. Despite the stress of the evening's events, her appetite had returned with a vengeance at the first bite of lobster. She'd only had it one other time in her life and she'd completely forgotten just how delicious it was. And the steak had been just as wonderful, although she'd been unable to eat the whole thing, despite her best effort. But Glen had easily finished it off for her after clearing his own plate, much to her amazement. She didn't think she'd ever seen anyone who could eat so much in one sitting. But she supposed she shouldn't have been surprised. After all, he was a big guy. Now the food coma was starting to set in, and she stretched lazily, trying to avoid falling asleep at the table.

Glen smiled as he watched her, pleased that she'd actually eaten her meal. The dinner had gone surprisingly well, considering the disastrous start to the evening, and they'd managed to maintain a casual, relaxed conversation, most of it centered around Glen's work. Normally, he didn't care for discussing his career while he was outside of the arena, but in an effort to keep the discussion from turning toward more serious subjects, he gladly answered all of her questions, thereby keeping the mood light. In between her inquiries, he asked questions of his own, curious to find out more about her own job, her friends and family, her hobbies. But he noticed that anytime he tried to focus the discussion on her, she provided only the slightest bit of information before quickly steering the conversation in another direction. Just another way of her protecting herself, he assumed. The less she let him in, the less she would risk being hurt later on. _Patience_, he reminded himself, even as he frowned. It was unreasonable to expect that all of their problems would simply disappear after just one night.

Seeing Kim glance nervously at her watch, he struggled to come up with another stalling tactic, desperate to delay her departure at least for a little longer. _Not that_, he scolded himself, as not-so-innocent images invaded his mind, his cheeks growing warm with embarrassment. Seeking a distraction, his eyes came to rest on the tv and he gave a thankful sigh as he snatched up the remote and handed it to Kim.

"Normally, I'm a sucker for dinner and a movie. But I guess tonight we'll have to settle for dinner and tv. See if you can find anything interesting."

He stood and gathered the dishes and placed them out in the hall for collection. Returning to the room, he took a seat on the edge of the bed, studying the tv curiously when he heard Kim chuckle.

"What's that?" he asked, motioning toward the show that had seemingly captured her attention.

"It's _The Princess Bride_. It's one of my favorite movies of all time."

"I've never seen it." He slipped off his shoes and slid back against the headboard, stretching his legs out on the bed.

"Really? You know Andre the Giant was in it?"

"Yeah. Seems like I knew that. I guess I just never got the opportunity to watch it." he answered. "But I guess now is a good a time as any."

Kim frowned as she glanced from him back to the tv. "I guess. But, well, it's getting late. I should probably be going soon. I still have to get back to the restaurant and get my car."

"I'll take you back to pick up your car. But you don't have to go so soon, do you? Stay. Just for a little longer."

He patted the mattress beside of him and Kim eyed him warily, nervous at the prospect of the two of them being in the bed together again.

"I promise I'll be on my best behavior." he added, sensing her apprehension.

Reluctantly, Kim approached the bed, slipping off her shoes before sliding up next to him. At first, she sat upright beside of him, trying to maintain a safe distance. But the wooden headboard was hard and uncomfortable beneath her back and she squirmed around, trying to find a more suitable position. Despite her initial reservations, she eventually found herself with her head lying on Glen's chest, her arm resting against his midsection, his large frame making a surprising comfortable pillow. His arm was draped around her shoulders, holding her close to his side, his hand stroking her hair softly as they watched the movie. Not long after, he glanced down at her and noticed that she was sound asleep. Wrapping a strand of her hair around his finger, he rested his head back against the wall, closing his eyes as he savored the moment, just grateful for an opportunity to hold her again.

It was the last thing he remembered.

Waking up sometime later, he rubbed away the stiff pain in his neck, surprised to see that it was well after midnight. He glanced down at Kim, who was still sleeping beside him, and sighed. He didn't want to wake her. He didn't want her to go home. He wanted her to spend the rest of the night right where she was. But, he had no choice. He'd made a promise to her that he would take it slow and do whatever he needed to, in order to win back her trust. And he couldn't break that promise, no matter how tempting it might be.

He shook her gently. "Kim. Wake up."

She moaned and snuggled further against him, eliciting a low groan from him in response. He sighed again, his arm tightening around her. Why did he always have to be the good guy?

He gave her shoulders another gentle nudge and watched as her eyes finally fluttered open.

Kim awoke slowly, still resting against Glen's large chest, taking in her surroundings as she tried to remember where she was. She raised her head and gazed up at him curiously.

"We fell asleep. It's getting late. I thought you would want me to take you home." he explained apologetically.

"Oh. Well, if you have to…." she sighed, blinking her eyes sleepily.

He chuckled softly, hugging her tight. "You're more than welcome to stay. But considering the circumstances, I thought you might want to go home."

Sleepy, warm and safe, Kim fought the urge to curl up beside of him and go back to sleep. The thought of dragging herself from his bed only to spend the rest of the night in her cold, empty one was not an appealing thought. But she forced herself to remember the pain that she'd struggled so hard to forget and she knew she had no choice but to leave. If she stayed, she would give in. And if she gave in, come morning, she knew she would regret it.

Reluctantly, she sat up and pulled away from him.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep." she murmured, blushing when she realized she'd been sprawled out on top of him.

"It's ok. I didn't mind." He grinned, which made her blush even harder.

She slid from the bed and slipped on her shoes and Glen helped her into her coat before grabbing the keys to his rental car.

"It's too late to walk. We'll take my car instead." he stated, leading her to the door.

He guided her down the hall to the elevator, then through the lobby and out to his rental car. They were mostly silent, Kim second guessing her decision to leave, Glen fighting the urge to convince her to stay. He helped her into the passenger seat of his car before climbing in behind the wheel. He started the car, delaying putting it into drive, as he turned to look at her.

Kim met his gaze briefly, then quickly glanced back down at her hands which were resting in her lap. She could feel his eyes on her and she swallowed nervously as she tried to think of something to say.

"I'm sorry. I just…can't…tonight." she stated softly, without looking at him. "I'm sorry."

His gaze shifted out the window.

"Tonight." he repeated, glancing back at her. "Does that mean that there will be other nights? That you will consider seeing me again?"

Kim opened her mouth as if to speak, then hesitated, shaking her head. "I'm honestly not sure. Before tonight, I never even thought this would be possible. I thought that I would never see you again. It's a lot to take in. Considering the circumstances, I have a lot of thinking to do."

He nodded. "That's fair enough."

He paused for a moment.

"I don't want you to think that I'm trying to pressure you into anything. But I want you to know that I meant everything I said earlier. I'm serious about this. More serious than I've ever been about anything. I just want to make sure that you know that."

She nodded but remained silent.

He reached over his head and slipped an old business card from underneath the sun visor. Flipping it over, he wrote his cell phone number on the back.

"I'll be in town for a couple more days. I'd really like to see you again while I'm here." He handed her the card. "Here's my number. Call me anytime. For any reason."

She slipped the card from his grasp, then watched as his large hand engulfed hers.

"I'd really like it if you'd call me."

Kim nodded again, slipping the card into her coat pocket, while simultaneously pulling out her keys.

"Thank you for dinner. It was nice. All things considered." she stated softly, then reached for the door handle. She stopped when she felt his hand on her arm.

"Thank you for staying." he replied. "I enjoyed it."

He leaned in, kissing her softly, his fingers trailing down her cheek as he pulled away. It was an innocent enough gesture, but at the contact Kim felt her stomach flutter and she was certain her heart stopped. Her cheeks flushed and she muttered a quick good night as she scrambled out the door.

"I'll be waiting to hear from you. " he called after her through the open window. Kim turned back to him one last time, giving him a faint smile before unlocking her car and slipping inside.

He waited on her until she pulled out into the nearly deserted street and headed for home, watching until her tail lights faded from view, still wondering if he would ever hear from her again.

XXXXXX

Stepping inside her apartment and flipping on the light, Kim breathed a sigh of relief that the ill-fated evening was finally over. She tossed her keys onto the table beside the door and headed straight for her bedroom, stripping out of her clothes as she went. She tossed them into the corner of her room, stopping in her tracks as her eyes came to rest on the bed.

_Well, the entire evening wasn't horrible_, she reminded herself, second guessing her decision to leave the warm comfort of Glen's bed for the loneliness of her own. She quickly pushed the thought aside and changed into her pajamas, washing away what little makeup that remained from her face before slipping under the covers. The bed seemed more frigid than usual tonight, a taunting reminder that it was her decision that had brought her back here. She pulled the covers tighter around her as she replayed the events of the evening, her eyes adjusting to the dark as she tried to sort out all of the feelings that were converging into a senseless mass inside of her.

She was still angry with Glen. A large part of her still didn't trust him. Still doubted the sincerity of his promises. On the other hand, she was still one hundred percent attracted to him and longed for him in a way she never had for any other. It was so hard for her mind to operate properly when her heart wanted to overrule every decision she might make.

Reaching for her purse on the floor, she withdrew the business card he had given her, turning it over and over in her fingers as she stared at it. She could just barely make out his handwriting in the darkened room and she rubbed her thumb across the numbers, as though feeling them might somehow draw him closer to her.

He wanted her to call him. Was waiting for her to call him, in fact. Which meant the decision for whether or not things continued now rested in her hands. Unfortunately, he hadn't given her much time for making that choice. He'd said he would only be in town for a couple more days and she strongly suspected that if he didn't hear from her during those two days, his pursuit of her would be over. That thought alone made her heart constrict. But, if she was being honest with herself, she supposed she couldn't blame him. Everybody had their limits and there would be no sense in him endlessly pursuing a dead end. If that was her decision.

Staring again at the card in her fingers, she realized that there was more at stake now than she had first realized. And she wondered if she was fully prepared to let him walk out of her life again, this time possibly for good.


	27. Chapter 27

**Guys, I am so sorry for the delay in updating. I've had such a horrible time with this story lately. Thank you for being patient with me and I promise to try to do better for here on out. :) **

**Chapter 27**

"So, it was him all along?" Michelle asked, feigning surprise at Kim's revelation that Glen was her mystery fan. "That must have been some surprise."

"You have no idea." Kim picked up her glass of orange juice and headed for the couch, Michelle trailing behind her. "I mean, I was just so shocked. I didn't know what to say or what to do. And then I just got so...angry. After what he did, just to show up that way...I was still so furious with him. I'm ashamed to say I...er...we...made quite a scene at the restaurant. I don't know for certain but I'm pretty sure we're both banned for life."

"I can understand you being mad. But, honestly, weren't you at least a little bit happy to see it was him?"

Kim sighed. "Not at first."

"And now?"

She shrugged and took a drink of juice. "I just don't know. I'm so confused. I mean, once we were able to sit down and have dinner, it was nice. And he kept saying how much he regrets what he did and he'd do whatever he could to make it up to me. But, I'm just having a problem letting myself believe him. You know as well as I do the kind of reputation these guys have. How do I know he isn't just having a little fun at my expense?"

"Well, for starters, I'm pretty sure he doesn't have a shortage of admirers. If he was just looking for a good time, I think he could manage that without much problem. Personally, I don't think he would put forth this much of an effort if he wasn't serious," Michelle argued. In reality, she had no doubt how Glen really felt about Kim. She'd figured out that much on her own after just a few minutes of conversation with him. But, of course, she couldn't come right out and tell that to Kim. At least, not without seriously jeopardizing their relationship. "I mean, honestly, what would he really have to gain by doing all of this? A couple of laughs? A one night stand? I'm sorry Kim, but it feels a little far-fetched to me to believe that is the only reason he's doing this."

She paused momentarily, watching as Kim pondered her words.

"I guess it makes sense when you put it that way."

"Let me ask you something. If you knew for sure that his motives were one hundred percent sincere, would you give him another chance? Would you really want to be with him?"

"Of course I would. It would be like a dream come true."

"Then give him the benefit of the doubt. Call him. Tell him you want to see him again. He won't wait forever. Don't give one of those other admirers an opportunity to swoop in and take him away from you. Call him, Kim. Today. Before its too late."

**XXXXXXXXX**

Stepping out of her bathroom, Kim slipped on her robe and adjusted the towel that was wrapped around her hair. She sat down in front of her computer and skimmed through a few of her favorite web sites, paying little attention to what was on the screen in front of her as she replayed her conversation with Michelle. As usual, most of what she'd said had made sense, especially the part about giving him the benefit of the doubt. She tried to replay the events of the past few months from the view point that it all had been just a mistake. No malicious intentions. Just repentance for a wrongful decision. She found it a much less bitter pill to swallow. For the first time, she felt a flicker of hope flutter through her heart that maybe, just maybe, her dream might actually come true. And suddenly, the prospect of letting him slip through her fingers became much more foreboding. Michelle was right. She'd kept him waiting long enough. If things were going to move forward, then it was up to her to put them in motion. And she had to do it now. Before it was too late.

**XXXXXXXXX**

"I was surprised to hear from you this morning. Honestly, I wasn't sure if I would ever hear from you again, especially after last night's disaster." Glen stared at her across the table, watching as she sipped her drink nervously.

"Honestly, last night, I wasn't sure if I would call."

"So, can I ask what made you change your mind?"

"I just...um...I just talked with Michelle this morning and she just kind of has this way of putting things into perspective. She made a lot of good points. And kind of pointed out that maybe I was being a little unreasonable."

"Well, remind me to thank her when I see her again. For getting you here, I mean. Not for calling you names." he added quickly.

Kim smiled and shook her head. "No, it's ok. I was being unreasonable. Glen, I'm sorry for last night. I was just so...surprised...to see you and..."

Glen reached across the table, his larger hand covering hers. "You don't have to apologize Kim. Last night was not all your fault. I didn't handle it well either. Let's just try to forget that it even happened. Today's a new day. We'll start all over and see how it goes from here, ok?"

Kim smiled, visibly relieved. "Ok."

"So, I don't know about you, but I have the day free. What should we get into?" he asked.

"Preferable something that doesn't involve the police." she replied, then frowned. She hadn't really thought about much beyond the point of calling him. The thought of having to plan out an entire afternoon with him nearly sent her into a panic.

"I'm not sure what we should do. I guess you have the usual options. Dinner. A movie. Bowling. There's a skating rink across town, but I'll warn you right now, unless you want to work in a trip to the ER with me, we should avoid that. There are a few nice local shops, and the standard chain stores you find almost everywhere, but nothing that really stands out. And of course, there are the clubs but they don't open until much later in the evening."

Glen raised his eyebrows at this last comment. "Clubs? Forgive me for saying so, but that really doesn't seem like your kind of thing. Do you go very often?"

Kim chuckled. "Clubbing? No, you're right. It's really not my thing. I've gone with Michelle a few times but I never really felt that I fit in very well. In case you haven't noticed, I'm not exactly the most socially competent person out there."

He smiled as he leaned across the table toward her. "I've noticed. It's actually part of what I like about you. You're like a breath of fresh air compared to what I normally see."

"I find that hard to believe," she replied, her voice laced with skepticism.

"Why is it so hard to believe? You're smart and you're funny. You're kind and you're humble, which personally, I find to be very attractive qualities. You're beautiful, inside and out. So, stop worrying about comparing yourself to those other women. They couldn't hold a candle to you, even on their best day."

Kim quickly snapped her mouth shut when she realized she'd been gaping at him, her face flushed with embarrassment at his assessment of her. If he was nothing else, at least he was direct, which was a welcome change from most of the other men she'd spent any significant amount of time around. But his bluntness was definitely a trait that would take some getting used to.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt you." he added, sensing her surprise at his revelation. "You were saying?"

"No, it's ok. I didn't mean to start rambling. I was just saying that there wasn't many exciting things to do around here, that's all. I'm sorry. I know this place is probably a joke compared to all the other fabulous cities you get to visit."

"Don't be so sure. I actually prefer this smaller-town atmosphere to many of the places I've been. Sure, it's not always exciting, but it's quiet. Relaxing. It's a nice change of pace from all of the noise and the people I deal with on a daily basis."

Kim nodded in agreement, although she found it difficult to imagine him being happy in a place like this.

"Besides, I'm sure it's not that bad." he continued. "What kinds of things do you do in your spare time? You must have a few hobbies or something. Anything you'd want to share? I'm up for pretty much anything."

"Glen, you already know what my hobby is. That's why we're here in the first place." she answered, fighting the urge to roll her eyes. "I'm ashamed to say, but I really don't have any other hobbies besides that one."

"Oh, right. Sorry." he murmured to himself. How could he have forgotten about that already?

Kim shrugged. "I guess we could do some sight-seeing. If you're up for a little road trip, that is? There might not be much in the way of entertainment around here, but we do have plenty of beautiful natural scenery. If you like that sort of thing."

His interest peaked, he cocked an eyebrow. "Sounds great. When do we leave?"

**XXXXXXXXX**

The drive out of the city and up the mountain was an enjoyable one. Glen had insisted on taking his rental car, leaving Kim content to sit in the passenger seat and issue directions. It was a beautiful early fall day, the sunlight glimmering off the newly changing leaves with stunning brilliance, the air refreshing and mild. A perfect day for a spur of the moment road trip.

Kim felt herself relaxing, the uneasiness of the previous night rapidly dissolving as she expertly guided Glen along the mountainous two lane road. It was a familiar route, although it had been months since the last trip she'd made through here, but her memory offered her no trouble in recollecting the location of the numerous sights to see along the way. She pointed out certain guide-marks to him with enthusiasm, warning him when he should prepare to slow down or calling his attention to something that he otherwise would have missed.

From the driver's seat, Glen dared take his eyes off of the winding road long enough to watch her, amused by the light-hearted tone with which she barked out her orders. _This is the way it should be_, he thought to himself. _The way it should've been to begin with_. With her relaxed and peaceful and happy and just content to be with him. He could tell by the way her face had lit up at the beginning of their drive, just how much she enjoyed this. And he was thrilled that she was allowing him to share it with her. He'd already decided it was something he could very easily get used to.

As they drove further along, she began to open up to him, telling him stories about her youth and her family, revealing more to him about her personal life than he could have ever dreamed of coaxing out of her on his own the previous night. At one point in the conversation, her hand came to rest on his heavily muscled arm as she turned to him, and if their was any discomfort in her actions, it did not show on her face and she continued on with her story as if touching him were the most natural thing in the world.

Directing him off of the main road and up a steep, winding, gravel path, they made their way to the top of the mountain to the overlook area, where Glen parked the car in an empty spot. Kim unbuckled her seat belt eagerly as she gazed out over the open expanse before them.

"Wow, this view is amazing." he stated.

"You haven't seen anything yet." she replied, opening her door. "Come on. Let me show you."

Shaking his head, he chuckled as he pulled himself out of the car and scrambled to catch up to her. He followed her down a narrow path off the side of the parking area, which wound around the side of the mountain, ending in another overlook area which was surrounded by stacked stone walls.

"You have to see it from here." she exclaimed, pointing over the side of the wall, motioning him to her.

Still grinning, Glen peered over the edge, the view taking his breath as he experienced it for the first time. The landscape before him seemed to stretch out for miles in all directions, the mountainous skyline forming a solid barricade in the far-off distance. Below him, steep slopes and broad patches of flattened earth formed a patchwork pattern of green and brown, broken only by faint lines of distant roadways that wound through the expansive countryside. The peacefulness of the scene momentarily stunned him into silence, humbled by the beauty of the natural world in front of him.

"I see now why you like this so much," he spoke, after a moment. "The view here is just incredible."

"It's perfect." Kim replied, taking a seat on one of the built-in benches attached to the wall. "I could just sit here all day. Could you imagine, having a house somewhere with this type of view? I'd never leave home."

Turning back to her, he noticed her attention was still captivated by the scenery, giving him the opportunity to study her at his leisure, his head tilted in thoughtful contemplation of her question.

Yes, he could imagine. He could imagine all of it. The view. The home. He could imagine sharing it all with her. And if it was the last thing he would ever manage to achieve in his life, he would still die a happy man.

But more importantly, he wondered if she could envision sharing her life with him? Was he included in the vision she had of her perfect home? Or was he just a by-stander, an after-thought always kept just beyond locked doors, forever out of her sight, out of her mind? Would he ever have the opportunity to work his way inside her home? Inside her heart?

He wondered just how much she would be willing to risk for a chance to get everything she had ever wanted.


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

"So, how about we try that dinner thing again tonight?," Glen asked, casting Kim a sideways glance as he navigated his rental car back down the mountain.

"Oh, well, that's fine I guess, but you really don't have to do that."

"I know I don't have to. But I want to." he argued playfully, grinning. "Besides, I still owe you a good meal. To make up for...well, you know."

"I thought you said we were going to forget about that?" she questioned, although she was smiling too as she gazed out the window at the scenery rushing past them.

"I did. And I will. As soon as you let me make it up to you. Then I promise, I won't mention it ever again." He held his right hand up as though taking an oath.

Still grinning, Kim shook her head. "Ok. Fine. If it makes you happy..."

"Good. So, since that part is settled, where should we go? This is your town. So you tell me. What do you recommend?"

She thought for a moment, trying to mentally review the list of all the good restaurants she could remember.

"Well, I'm not sure exactly. Um, what kind of food do you like?"

Glen chuckled. "Do I look like I'm very picky?"

"Well, okay. Is there anything you don't like then?" she laughed, rolling her eyes at him.

"I'm not crazy about Chinese food. But I can eat it if I have to." he replied. "Other than that, everything else is fair game."

Kim made a face. "I don't like Chinese food either. I never have been able to tolerate it."

"Well, that's one good thing we have in common then."

"I guess so." She thought for a moment, then turned back to him. "I guess it's difficult for you, isn't it? Doing things like that. Going out to eat and such. You probably don't get a lot of privacy, do you?"

He shrugged. "It can be difficult. It's frustrating sometimes. But it comes with the territory, you know? I guess it's just one of those things you get used to after a while."

"It still doesn't seem right, though. I mean, you work hard. You deserve to have some peace and quiet every now and then. It's sad that you can't even eat a meal in peace."

"I survive. Honestly, I really don't go out a lot when I'm on the road. I spend a lot of time in my hotel room. I guess that sounds pathetic, but really, it's not so bad. Like I said, you get used to it. I think the hardest part is when I'm home. You know, you just want to be able to go out and do normal things and just be a normal person but it's really difficult to do sometimes. But, I always remind myself that if people weren't excited to see me, then I probably wouldn't have a job. They are the ones who purchase the tickets and buy the merchandise that pays my salary. So I try to be as polite as I can, to a certain extent." He glanced at her, tilting his head in her direction. "There are always those people out there who love to try to push your buttons, if you'll let them, just hoping for a photo or some video footage they can post online and make themselves a star. Those are the ones I really have a problem with."

"I'm sure." she replied, her attention drawn back to the window as she contemplated his words. "It's a shame some people have to be so disrespectful."

"It's nothing new. You'll find the same behavior everywhere. There's not a whole lot you can do about it. Anyway, I didn't mean to go off on such a tangent there. Besides, you're supposed to be deciding where we should eat tonight."

Kim remained quiet, lost in thought, as she continued to stare at the passing landscape out the window.

"Hey," he prodded, finally grabbing her attention. "You look like you're deep in thought over there. Care to tell me what that's all about?"

She smiled. "I'm sorry. I was just thinking."

He cocked an eyebrow curiously. "About what, should I ask?"

"About your dinner." she teased. "I was trying to decide where we should go before you starve to death on me."

"Oh really?"

"Really."

"And did you decide?"

"Actually I did. Well, sort of. I need to make a couple of phone calls when we get back, but I don't think we'll have any problems getting in."

He flashed her a look of surprise. "So, care to tell me where we're going?"

With a smug smile, Kim crossed her arms and sat back in her seat. "You'll find out soon enough."

"It's a surprise!" she added, batting her eyelashes at him innocently when he gave her a suspicious look. "You're not the only one who can keep a secret, you know!"

XXXXXXXX

"Turn down the alley there on your right. There's a small parking lot in the back." Kim ordered from her position in the passenger seat.

Glen did as she instructed, pulling into one of the marked parking spots behind the building.

"So this is my surprise?" He glanced about curiously, surveying the surroundings. "Uh, can I ask why we are parking back here. Isn't the entrance in the front of the building?"

"The main entrance is in the front of the building. This entrance is for special guests only." Without any additional explanation, she exited the car, and started toward the plain service door that was visible from the lot, leaving Glen scrambling to keep up with her.

She was already knocking on the door by the time he caught her, temporarily shelving any additional questions he had. A moment later, the door swung inward, the bright fluorescent lighting disappearing as quickly as it had appeared behind the hulking frame that suddenly filled the doorway.

"Ah, there's my girl!," a deep voice exclaimed as Kim was lifted off her feet and enfolded into a huge bear hug.

Caught off guard by the sudden exchange, Glen wasn't sure if he should be delighted or concerned with the scene unfolding in front of him. He finally decided on the former, but only after Kim had her feet safely planted on the ground again.

"And is this him? The one you were telling me about?" the voice inquired and Glen nervously took a step backwards, unsure if he should expect to receive the same treatment. "Well don't just stand there. Come in, come in!"

The shadow vanished back inside the brightly light room, and Kim followed behind, but not before turning to flash a brilliant smile in Glen's direction. Still confused, he let her lead him through the door and into what turned out to be a large commercial kitchen. He shut the door behind him, and for the first time got a glimpse of the huge man who had just greeted them and who was now standing with his arm protectively around Kim's shoulders. He was an older man, just shy of Glen's own size, well-built, with dark hair and a amicable smile, and for one brief second, Glen was envious of the familiar bond that he apparently shared with Kim.

"So this is him, eh?" the man repeated, releasing Kim and stepping forward with his hand outstretched. Glen mimicked his movements, accepting his firm handshake, his original misgivings evaporating at the man's warm welcome.

"Poppy, I want you to meet Glen. Glen, this is Poppy."

"Actually, my name is Sergio. Poppy is just a nickname." he corrected as he shook Glen's hand.

"Poppy is an old family friend" Kim explained, taking note of Glen's confusion. "He and my father go way back."

"Hey, who you callin' old?" Sergio questioned, as he turned his attention back to her. "You should know by now, I'll never be old!"

"Of course. I forgot. My mistake." Kim teased as she moved to stand by Glen.

"So, you two are here for dinner." Sergio inquired, although it came out more as a statement than a question. "Well, welcome to Figaro's. I hope you will enjoy your evening here. Let me show you to your table."

"Figaro's? Not Sergio's?" Glen questioned jokingly, as he and Kim followed Sergio through the kitchen into an empty hallway.

"Figaro is my father's name. This used to be his restaurant. I inherited it from him many years ago." Sergio explained, as he motioned them through another open doorway into an empty dining room. "Ah, here is your table. This will be satisfactory for you, no?"

One solitary table in the corner of the room had been arranged with a place setting for two. White china, sparkling glasses and a beautiful bouquet of flowers adorned the surface of the crimson red table cloth, flanked by a matching pair of thin, white candles. Similar candles had been placed on several of the neighboring tabletops,creating a romantic ambiance that complimented the lighting in the dimly lit room.

"This room is normally reserved for special events, but tonight, it's all yours." Sergio added with a smile.

Kim stepped forward and hugged him tightly again. "It's perfect! Thank you so much!"

"It's my pleasure. Now, if you will excuse me, I'll leave you two to your dinner. I'll send your waiter by in a few minutes to take your order. If you need anything, please let me know."

They both thanked him again as he left the room, then took their seats, Kim grinning in enjoyment as she met Glen's gaze across the table.

"So this is what you've been planning all afternoon?" Glen inquired, amused by the smug look on her face.

"Yep, this is it. Impressed?" she asked.

He nodded as his gaze traveled around the room. "Very. It's not often I have an entire dining room all to myself. You managed to do all of this with just one phone call?"

"Well, most of this was Poppy's idea. I asked him for a quiet table where we could eat our meal in peace. And this..." she stated, waving her hand across the table, "...is what he gave us."

"Well, I'm certainly not going to complain. This is very nice."

"It was the least I could do. I figured you deserved to have a nice dinner too," she replied. "I hope you like Italian food. Sergio is a wonderful chef."

"I'm sure he is." he agreed, as he picked up his menu and opened it. "So you come here often then?"

Kim shrugged. "I've been here a few times. He always treats me well."

"I can see that." Glen answered, as his gaze wandered around the room again. He felt another pang of jealousy as he wondered if she'd ever brought any other men to dinner here.

"Well, honestly, I don't usually get this kind of treatment."

"I kind of told him it was a special occasion." she added when he flashed her a curious look. "I just told him that we needed some time alone."

Amused, Glen closed his menu and reclined back in his chair.

"Oh, I see. And can I ask why you're so anxious to be alone? You have another surprise I don't know about?" he teased.

Kim blushed, the heat rising in her cheeks until they were the same color as the tablecloth.

"I...no reason. I just thought...you might like to enjoy a nice dinner without any interruptions." she stammered, her gaze dropping quickly to study the menu.

"That's a shame," he answered, feigning interest in his own menu as he picked it up again. "I think I'm starting to like your surprises."

"You're incorrigible." she replied, the huge grin on his face making her laugh. "Behave, will you? Geez, I can't take you anywhere."

Touching his finger to his forehead, he gave her an obedient salute. "Yes ma'am. Best behavior. Got it."

He watched her as she resumed her perusal of the menu, his earlier jealousy diminishing as he studied the smile on her face. If any other man had been foolish enough to have had her in his grasp and then let her slip away, then the fool was not worthy of being envied. And if he had not been the first person with whom she had shared this perfect world of hers, then he vowed that he would at least be the last. He would not make the same mistake as those before him. There was no way he would ever let her slip through his fingers again. And he was determined, now more than ever, that he would do whatever it took to keep her by his side, no matter what the cost might be.

XXXXXXX

"There is no way I could possibly eat another bite." Glen leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, his hand running over his full stomach.

"I told you, didn't I? Sergio really does a wonderful job." Kim replied, stifling a groan at her own discomfort. Like Glen, she'd eaten entirely too much.

"I think I've found my new favorite restaurant." he sighed. "We'll definitely have to come back here again. Soon."

His eyes still closed, Kim watched Glen from across the table, contemplating his words. Even though they'd spent a wonderful day together, she still found it difficult to believe that this was real. That he was really here. That he still wanted to be with her. To hear him make plans for the future, no matter how insignificant, was still inconceivable to her.

"So, how was your meal? Enjoyable, no?" Sergio inquired, as he stepped into the room, pulling Kim from her thoughts.

"Oh, Poppy, it was wonderful as always! You never disappoint. You should know that by now!"

"Of course I know it! I just never get tired of hearing it." he laughed, putting his arm around her shoulders again as she stood up beside him.

Opening his eyes, Glen watched their interaction, the sight of which did not affect him as strongly as it had earlier that evening. Despite his initial concerns, it was obvious from their conversations that Sergio was a friend, nothing more. He had no reason to be jealous of him or be mistrustful of his motives, which was a relief, considering the man made it practically impossible to dislike him. He stretched and rose from his chair, approaching them with his hand outstretched in a display of genuine gratitude.

"Thank you, Sergio. For everything. It's been a very enjoyable evening."

The second man accepted his hand warmly. "Of course. You two are welcome here anytime. Anytime!"

They continued their small talk as Sergio led them down the hallway and through the kitchen toward the service entrance, his arm still around Kim as Glen trailed behind them.

"Thank you again." Kim stated, as they stopped at the door. She stepped forward and hugged him tightly and he responded with a warm kiss on her cheek.

"Come back soon. Please."

"We will." One last hug and she slipped out the door, making room for Glen. Glen followed behind her, offering his large hand to Sergio one last time. Sergio grasped it and pulled him closer.

"She's a good girl. And a good friend. So you take good care of her, eh?" he stated earnestly, patting Glen on the back with his free hand.

Glen smiled, returning the favor. "Don't worry, my friend. I plan on taking very good care of her. We'll come back again soon, I promise."

"Anytime!" he repeated, laughing as Glen disappeared through the door. "Please come back anytime!"


	29. Chapter 29

**Sorry for the delay in updating. It's been a little crazy around here with the holidays and all. I apologize if these next couple of chapters seem a little slow. I promise things are happening. I just don't want to rush it, you know? :)**

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Chapter 29**

Glen stared out the car window, preoccupied as he navigated his way through streets that were much less crowded than they had been only a couple of hours earlier. He was thankful for the reprieve from the rush hour traffic. With his concentration not completely consumed by the danger of oncoming vehicles, he allowed his mind to wander. To replay the events of the day. To think of how drastically things had changed. He wondered if he should dare to hope that things might continue to go just as smoothly as this night had gone.

Sitting beside him, Kim seemed to be lost in her own thoughts. She'd been quiet since they'd left the restaurant, although it wasn't a strained silence. She seemed happy. Content. Still, he would have paid a pretty penny just to get a glimpse of the thoughts that were running through her mind.

"I need to make a right at the next intersection?" he asked, breaking the silence, the route to her home still unfamiliar to him. He hoped that would change in the near future.

"Yes. At the next light." she answered, turning to smile at him as she did so.

"I know I've already said it, but that was a wonderful surprise. Thank you. I had a great time."

Gazing at him for a moment, she nodded her head. "I'm glad you enjoyed it. You deserved it."

"Sergio is very entertaining. I imagine he must have a pretty regular clientele."

"Between the good food and the friendly ambiance, I don't think he has any shortage of customers. Anytime I've ever eaten there, the place has always been packed."

"It's too bad more people don't follow his lead. That kind of customer service is very rare these days."

"Take the next left into the parking lot." she instructed, pointing ahead toward the next street sign.

Following her directions, Glen pulled the car into the lot, parking in front of the door to her apartment. They sat in silence for a moment, as he stared at the door longingly.

"Well, I guess I should get inside." Kim sighed, opening the car door. Glen met her in front of the vehicle, watching as she searched for her keys inside her purse.

"This seems like a quiet place." he observed, as she stepped to the door and slipped the key in the lock.

"It is pretty quiet. I really lucked up when I found the place. No angry married couples for neighbors and no loud college kids nearby. Guess you can't really ask for more than that."

"It's secure here?" he asked, realizing the apartment likely did not come with a security system.

"About as well as one could hope. There's never been any major problems here. At least, none that I'm aware of."

She stepped inside and flipped on the light, then looked over her shoulder, surprised to see him still standing outside.

"Um, would you like to come in?" she asked nervously, assuming he was waiting for an invitation.

His gaze traveled past her, surveying the interior of the room behind here. His eyes dropped back to her, a sad smile crossing his lips. "I don't think so."

"Oh, okay." she replied, the disappointment magnified by hurt and confusion. He'd been so insistent on spending time with her. So why was he refusing her now? Perhaps he hadn't had as good of a time as he claimed.

"I'd like to," he added, mindful of her feelings. "But...if I come inside now, I'm not sure I'll be able to keep all those promises I made about taking things slow."

Relieved, Kim blushed under his steady gaze.

"However, I would like it very much if I could see you again tomorrow. It's my last free day before I have to go back to work."

Hugging herself, Kim frowned.

"Unless, you don't want to." he added quickly, taking note of her reluctance.

"No, I'd like to. It's just that I have to work tomorrow myself. And I wouldn't feel right taking the day off. I've missed more time than I should have recently."

Glen tried hard to contain his disappointment. He'd been on his irregular work schedule for so long, he sometimes forget that other people worked regular nine to five hours.

"Then I'd still like to take you to dinner again tomorrow evening. If you'd like to go with me, that is."

"Of course. I'll call you when I get home."

"Good. It's a date then."

Kim chuckled nervously.

"Well, I won't keep you," he stated reluctantly. "I know you have to get up early in the morning. Good night."

"Good night Glen."

He hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward closing the distance between them. He palmed one cheek in his large hand carefully, the pad of his thumb caressing the skin lightly, before dipping his head, his mouth finding hers. Surprise giving way to pent up desire, Kim swayed on her feet, hands gripping thick biceps even as she leaned into him, his free hand coming to rest on the small of her back, instinctively pulling her closer. The heat from his body was enticing, thrilling, and she pressed herself against him shamelessly, seeking more. With a sigh, he pulled back, his shaky breath matching her own as he rested his forehead against hers.

"I should probably go now. I think I hear a very cold shower calling my name."

"Okay." The sound was not much more than a whisper.

"Good night," he repeated. He hesitated before kissing her again, then placed a soft kiss on her forehead instead. "I'll call you tomorrow."

Kim hugged herself, more out of a nervous habit than in protection against the cool air that swirled around her, as she watched him slip back behind the wheel, and she tossed her hand up in a wave as he backed out of the parking space and pulled away. Smiling to herself, she touched her fingers to her lips as she closed and locked her door, the sound of her own cold shower calling to her from within the empty recesses of her lonely apartment.

**XXXXXXXXX**

Kim sighed as the phone rang for what had to be the fiftieth time that morning. She glanced around to make sure no one was watching her, then ignored the sound, letting it roll to her voice mail. Shifting through the documents on her desk, she searched for the report she needed but had lost, finding two other items in the process that needed her immediate attention. She pulled them to the side, found the missing report, and moved the remaining stack of papers to the other corner of her desk, even as the phone began its incessant ringing yet again. With a silent curse, she glanced at the cord that ran from the back of the phone and disappeared behind her desk, wondering if anyone would notice if she unplugged it for the rest of the day.

How different things were today. Yesterday had been nearly perfect. Almost like a dream. So calm and stress free. So why did she find herself being so annoyed and on edge today? Especially after the kiss they'd shared last night. Unconsciously, she brought her fingers to her mouth, recalling how wonderful it had felt to be back in Glen's arms.

Another shrill ring of the phone jolted her from her thoughts and she murmured a curse under her breath as she picked it up, fighting the urge to shout into the mouthpiece.

"Kim? There is someone here to see you. Should I send him back?"

She closed her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose, trying to force away the pain that was starting to build behind her closed lids. She really was not in the mood to deal with a client face to face today. Especially one without an appointment.

"Yes Elizabeth. Please send him through. Thank you."

Quickly tidying up her desk, she swiped an armful of items into a drawer, running her hand over the now clear surface to brush the dust onto the floor. She grabbed a couple of empty drink cups and swiveled around to throw them in the trashcan behind her. A knock on the wall of her cubicle startled her, and she turned around quickly, freezing in place at the sight of the large flower arrangement that had suddenly appeared in her open doorway.

"Uh, I have a delivery for Kim. Is that you?" the delivery man asked. He stepped into the office to set the vase on the bare corner of her desk and Kim spotted Elizabeth standing in the hallway behind him with a smile on her face, giving her two thumbs up.

"Thank you, " Kim replied, her frustrations vanishing as she studied the beautiful flowers. She took her seat and plucked the card from the vase, smiling to herself as she opened it.

_Had a great time yesterday. Looking forward to dinner tonight. - Glen_

She ran her fingertips across the smooth petals of one of the flowers thoughtfully. She really shouldn't have been surprised. The gesture was so sweet and thoughtful. Just like something he would do. The display of affection should have thrilled her. In reality, she should have been ecstatic. But the churning in her gut continued, the disquiet eroding away the happiness that should have consumed her.

Maybe it's just sexual frustration, she thought to herself. She choked back a laugh, her face growing warm when she recalled the cold...er...hot shower she'd taken the night before. The beep of the inter-company intercom grabbed her attention before her thoughts had time to wander any deeper into the mire and she quickly snatched up the report she needed, heading to the door with a sigh as the phone began to ring again behind her, duty quickly overriding the lustful thoughts that had suddenly appeared in her mind.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_I'm going to kill somebody_, she thought to herself, as yet another knock on her cubicle door interrupted her. She hated to even look up, knowing the murder was probably evident in her eyes.

"Hey, I was just in the neighborhood and I thought you might want to go to...Wow! Where did those come from?" Michelle inquired, as she propped up against the doorway of Kim's office.

Relieved, Kim smiled up at her, following her gaze and looking over the arrangement once more.

"It's from Glen. Impressive, huh?"

"Not bad. Should I ask what you did to deserve something like that?" Michelle teased, grinning madly at Kim's crimson face.

"It's none of your business..." she quipped, still smiling as she closed the folder on her desk. "Lunch?"

"If you have the time."

"I've got time to grab something quick. We could go to the cafe right around the corner."

"Sounds good. Let's go."

The two left the building and made the short trip to the cafe, making small talk as they went. But Kim wasn't fooled by the sudden change of topics. If she knew anything about Michelle – and she was sure she did – her inquisition was not anywhere close to being over.

They ordered, then took a seat in an empty booth near the window.

"So, I take it things went well yesterday?" Michelle asking, picking up right where she'd left off only moments earlier.

Kim smiled again, the stress of the office far behind her. "Things did go well. Very well, actually. We had a nice time."

"And?"

"And...nothing. We spent the day together, we had dinner, and that was it."

"What? No late night nookie? No good night kiss?"

Kim blushed again. "Well, there was the kiss."

"And? How was it?"

"It was...nice."

"Nice? Just nice? Somebody's going to have to teach that man a thing or two."

"Well, maybe it was a little better than nice."

"Yeah, based on that goofy grin on your face, I kind of figured it was. So, now what? Are you going to see him again?"

Kim shrugged, trying to ward off the nagging cloud that had been hanging over her all day. "We're having dinner again tonight."

"Well, its good that you two are finally getting to spend some time together. So, what happens after tonight? He has to go back to work tomorrow doesn't he? Shane's leaving too."

"I don't know what happens. Back to reality, I guess."

Their waitress interrupted, placing their food on the table in front of them. Kim picked at the crust of her sandwich, her appetite suddenly gone.

"Don't tell me you're still having doubts about this whole thing?" Michelle pressed, taking quick note of Kim's strange mood.

"I don't know. Don't get me wrong. Yesterday was wonderful. But, I just can't get over this feeling that I'm stupid for thinking this could ever work. I mean, he's leaving again tomorrow. I don't know how long it will be until I see him again. He's going to be out there, on the road, surrounded by thousands of fans, many of them women. Not to mention all those gorgeous women he works with. He's faced with all that temptation, every single day." Kim chewed on her lip as she gazed absentmindedly out the window. She turned her attention back to her friend. "Am I crazy for thinking that this could ever end well?"

"Maybe you are crazy. But not because of that." Michelle laughed, trying to lighten the mood. "Look, I don't have a crystal ball. I can't tell you how things are going to turn out. But you won't know if you don't try. It's not like you have to make a life or death choice right this very second. Just try it. Give it some time, then see how you feel about things then. It's going to be an adjustment, no matter how you try to look at it."

Kim nursed her drink quietly, contemplating the other woman's advice.

"So, what about you and Shane then," she finally asked. "Are you going to do the same with him?"

Now it was Michelle's turn to shrug. "We've talked about it. We'll see how it goes."

"So, you don't worry about him being on the road all the time? About the possibility with him being with other women?"

"I hadn't. But ...thanks."

"I'm sorry Michelle. I didn't mean to upset you."

She smiled. "I'm joking Kim. Look, I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought about it. But he's an adult. He either will or he won't. I refuse to babysit a grown man. It's up to him to make the right choices. And he knows what the consequences will be if he makes the wrong one."

"And you'd be okay with that? Walking away? You know, if he made the wrong choice."

"I'd be disappointed, sure. But it wouldn't be the end of the world. And at the end of the day, I would know that I was at least brave enough to give it a shot. You're familiar with that old saying, 'It's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.'"

Kim chuckled softly. "Well, why don't you let me borrow some of your confidence then."

She rested her head against the back of the booth, rubbing her forehead with her fingers.

"I know I sound pathetic but this is just so new to me. I've never felt like this about anybody before. I feel like I'm stuck inside some crazy dream and I'm going to wake up at any moment and it's going to be over. And now that I've felt it, that I've seen what it's like...the thought of going back to my old life just seems unbearable. I don't think I could stand it."

"Well, if you want it this badly, then it sounds to me like you know what you need to do. It doesn't have to end. But it's up to you to make that decision. You need to have a serious talk with Glen. He needs to know what you're thinking. And you need to do it tonight. Before he leaves."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Kim agreed, her stomach already knotting up at the thought of having to have such an important discussion with him.

"It's your life we're talking about. Nobody else is going to do it for you." Michelle warned.

"So what's it going to be? Now that you know what you want, " she added, with a smile, challenging her. "Are you brave enough to go after it?"


End file.
